Features
rySuper-Smooth Poly FinishRubbing it out is the key to success.
Modern Mission CabinetPrecision-cutjoins are a lot simpler with good jigs.
Tool ReviewSmall Air CompressorsAnswer 5 easy questions before you buy.
41 PlumbYour Shop with Air\t J Flexible hose skirts around every obstacle.
61 53iI?$ EdseJointer troubles?Here are 6 steps ito precisely tune your irmachine.
50 f
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61
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4 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
Departments1n Ouestion &AnswerI\,t
.lig rp a bowl gouge for sharpening, add cork
to su.tdittg blocks, benefit from squaredrivescrews and free a planer's stuck gib nut.
14 WorkshopTips^ ^ Spot twist with winding sticks, score plywood
to avoid tear-out, spread glue with a squeegee,
7B
eliminate router burn, glue miterswith tape, replace tablesaw fence rails
and make a smooth countersink hole'
1F7 TheTicol NutL t Send us your stories and
you could earn $150.
99 Well-Equipped ShoP11 Kreg bandsaw fence, Steel City tools,
Woodcraft drill-press laser, Wixey digital
planer readout, Craftsman drill press with
iaser, Tiiton plunge router kit, Grizzly12-in. drum sander.
qO Modern Cabinetmaker.-'' \'' Making Curued Doors
Kerfcore simplifies a challenging project.
6BSmall ShopTipsMake a pipe-clamp end vise, hang cordlessdrills and date cans of finish.
Free PlansJoin our online panel to receive 5 favorite
shop-project plans \^''
*RrTurningWoodtSharpenfng Bowl GougesFreehand grinding isjust like turning.
7L
B4ToolTalkTenoning JigsThe least expensive modelworks great!
RR Oops!\''\r Top Fastening 101
The mixed-up day I screweda table to the floor.
SubscriptionsAmerican Woodworker Subscriber Service Dept., PO. Box 81€, Red Oak, lA 51591'1148'(goo) ooesllt, +mail A\lt/Wservice@ rd'com
Article tndexA complete index is available online at www,americanwoodworker.com
Copies of Past ArticlesPhitocopies are available for $3 each, Write or call: American Woodworker Reprint Center,
PO. Box'83695, Stillwater, MN 55083-06gS, (715) 2464521,8 a'm. to 5 p'm' CSI Mon' through
Fri. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted.
Back lssuesSome are available for $6 eadr. Order from the Reprint Center at the address above.
Comments & SuggestionsWrite to us at American Woodworker, 2915 Commers Dr., Suite 700, Eagan, MN 55121 '(651 ) 454-9200, fax (651 ) 994-2250, e-mai I aweditor@ readersd i gest.com.
30
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6 American Wbodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
81
TheFy of\Afoodworkingl\ /f,, earliest woodworking memory goes back to when I was 8 years old. I sneaked a handsaw out
IVI"rmy dad's shop and used it ro saw some branches offa willow tree limb that had blown down
in a storm. I can still feel the excitement and satisfaction as I stroked the saw through the branches and
watched sawdust gather on the ground.
In later years, I enjoyed many fine hours woodworking with my dad
in his shop. I'm sure those hupPy times working with tools con-
tributed to my eventually becoming an industrial arts teacher, fur-
niture builder and now an editor of a woodworking magazine.
Recently, I had the opportunity to teach an introductory class
on shop safety and power tools at a local woodworking school.
The class had five students: a woman who wanted to learn more
trrL::jjfiffi#ffiffiH.T#frj+;;l*ffi"Hfi*' ffi $ages 14 and 17.The father and daughters came because they
to the safe operation of all the main shop power Jffifl, mrc",ffi] ffiffi.#tools. As I introduced, each power tool, I asked the ,^,'{,';ffiffi i:, j
students about their experience with the tool. dMost had little or no power-tool experience but
were eager to learn. As we Progressed from tool
to tool, I watched for signs of uncertainty and
tried to anticipate questions. I wanted them to
also experience thejoy of making sawdust.
As class ended, I overheard the tr,vo
daughters say to their father, "Dad, I think
we found a new hobby." Now that's the joy
of woodworking! I hope the projecs and
techniques in this issue inspire you to
make some sawdust, too.
Until next time,
atfiuRandyJohnson
Executive Editor
Amnic an Wo o dw mker magazin e
I American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
Editor Ken Collier
Flxccutive Editor RandyJohnson
Senior Editor Tom Caspar
Associate Editors TimJohsmDave Munkittrick
Tools arrd Products Editor GeorgeVondriska
Editorial Intern Luke Hartle
Design Director Sara Koehler
ArtDirectors VernJohnson
Joe Gohman
Copy Editor Jean Cook
Fact Checking Specialists Jemifer FeistNina Chil&Johnson
Production Manager JudyRodriguezProduction Artist Lisa Pahl Knecht
Office Adnrinistrative Manager Alice Garrett
Financial Assistant Steven Charbonneau
Reader Service Specialist Roxie lilipkowski
Adrninistrative Assistant ShellyJacobsen
Group Director,Home & Garden Group
Publisher
Group Marketing Director
National Sales Manager
Promotion Manager
Marketing Associate
Prornotion Coordinator
Designer
Business Manager
Advertising Coordinator
Research Manager
Kerry Bianchi
Rick Scaface
Dawn Eggerts
James Ford
Andrea Vecchio
Jennifer HilI
Joanne No6
Barbara Vasquez
Mcki Adler
Barbara Berezorrski
Geolgia Sorensen
ADVERTISING SALES260 Madison Ave., NewYork IrlY 10016; (212) 8*72.26
CHIC"4,C;OJames Ford (31 2) 54G4804Sherry Mallit (sales assistant) (312) 54M824
NEW YORK Tirck Sifers (212) 85G7197()assified Advertising, The McNeill Group, Inc.
(ll:rssified Manager, Don Serfass, (215) 321-9662, exr 30
PUBLISHED BY HOME SERVICE PUBLICATTONS, INC.,A SUASIDIARY OF THE
READER'S DIGEST ASSOCIATION, INC.
President, U.S. Magazines Bonnie IGnE€r Bachar
Vice President. ConsumerMarketing, U.S. Magazines Cara L. Schlanger
Vice President, CFONorth America Stephen W. Simon
President andClrief Executive Officer Eric W. Schrier
Chairman of the Board Thomas O. Rvder
Issue #123. American Woodworker@, ISSN 107,f9152,USPS 73&710 Published bimonthly, except monthlyOctober and November by Home Service Publications, Inc.,260 Madison Arcnue,5th Floor, NewYork, NIY 10016.Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additionalmailing offices. Postmtrter: Send change of address noticeto American Woodworker@, P.O. Box 8148, Red Oak, tA51591-l 148. Subscription rates: U.S- one-year, $24.98. Single-copy, $5.99. Canada one-year, $29.98 (U.S. Funds); GST #RI2298861 l. Foreign surface one-year, $29.98 (U.S. Funds).U.S. newsstand distribution by Heant Distribution Group,New York, NY 10019. In Canada: Posrage paid at Gareway,Mississauga, Ontario; CPM# 1447866. Send returns andaddress changes to American Woodworker@, P-O. Box 8148,Red Oak, LA, USA 51591-l148. Printed in USA. @ 2ffi6Home Sen'ice Publications, Inc. All rights reseryed.
Reader's Digest may share infonnation about you with reputablecompanies in order for them to offer you products and rrvicesof inierest to vorr. If you worrld mther we not shre information.plea;e rwite to us at Reader's Digest Asmiation, American\4bodrvorker, Cutomer Service Depanment, P.O. Box 8l€,Rerl Oak, IA 51591. Pleas include a copy ofyour address label.
Srrbscribers: If the Post OIfice alerts u that your magzine isrrndeliverable, we have no funher obligation unles wereceive a corected address within one year.
American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006 9
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Bowl-Gouge Sharpening Jigs1|trw as I might, I can't seem
t fto get a good edge on mY)ii-powl gouges. Are bowl-
gougFsharpening jigs worth look-ing into?
A Bowlgouge sharpening jigs do
A u great job. The jigs grve many
I Ln .rr.tt a higher degree of con-
trol and repeatability than they get
doing it by hand. But don't kid yourseH;
using a jig is not like using a pencil
sharpener. The technique does involve
a learning curve; it'sjust not as steep as
learning to sharpen by hand. You still
have to know how to shape the tool and
when to stop grinding by observing the
sparks (see "Sharpening Bowl Gouges,'
page 78).
According to exPert turner and
instructor Alan Lacer, the motion used
to sharpen a gouge on a grinder is very
similar to the one used to turn a bowl
on the lathe. As you master one skill,
you'll be learning the other. However, if
you're spending more time on the
grinder than on the lathe, a sharpening
jig can getyou over the hump and allow
you to concentrate on developing your
skills on the lathe first.
There axe a number of jigs on the
market and all of them work well. The
basic jig usually consists of a mounting
plate that holds either an adjustable
arrn or a tool rest (not shown). (The
tool rest, an adjustable plaform used
for sharpening chisels and plane irons,
is far superior to most stock tool rests.)
The adjustable arm has a cradle to hold
the gouge handle to create a traditional
gnnd (Photo l). To create a fingernail
profile, you need to purchase a tool
holder to go wi*r your basic set (Photo 2).
Source Oneway ManufacturinS, (8001 56$7288. www.oneway.ca Wolverine grinding jig fortraditional profile plus large adjustable tool rest,#229'l, $80- Vari-Grind attachment for fingernailprofile, #2480, $48.
IIOUNTINGPLATE
ADJUSTABLE
/ ^RM
f
1 To grind a traditional profile on a bowl gouge, you need a basic
I iig setup consisting of an adiustable arm with a cradle to hold
the gouge and a mounting plate to hold the arm.To use, simply
rotate the tool handle in the cradle.
TOOLHOLDER .i'
t " '
CDTo create a fingernail profile, you needt''specialized tool holder.
ltnetool holder pivots in a cradle on an adiustable arm. Rockingthe handle back and forth creates the profile.
oU.lFozaat.llJzl
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10 American Woodworker sEPTEMBER 2tr<r6
Souanr Dnlvr vs.PHTLLtPS-Heao ScnEWS
What's the advantage to square-drivescrews over Phillips-head screws?
A The primary advantage to squaredrive screws is
A they are much less prone to'cam{ut"" C,amoutL lrefers to the slipping of the bit in the screw headas the screw is driven.
The square-head screw was invented byP. I. Roberrson, a Canadian, in 1908. It offered a bigadvantage over the slotted screw head because it wasself-centering and not prone to slipping when driven.But, an early attempt to market these screws in theUnited States failed. This left the Robert-son screwconfined to the Canadian market.
The Phillips-head screwwas initiallydeveloped in the1930s for industrial use. It offered the same self<enter-ing advantage as the square drive but was designed tocam out. Camout was considered an advantage in theindustrial assembly line, preventing screws from beingovertightened and gtving a little cushion to the furious
PHILIPS HEAD HYBRID SQUARE.DRIVEROBERTSON HEAD
power drivers of the day. But the advantage for indus-try was the bane of woodworkers. Cam-out for themmeant marred finishes and scarred wood.
Eventually, the Robertson-head or squaredrivescrew migrated across the border and, by the 1970s,was making strong inroads in the furniture andwoodworking trades.
A new hybrid screw-head design is a squaredrivescrew that" in a pinch, allows you to use a phillips driver.
Source McFeely's, (800) 443-7937, www.mcfeelys.comAll types and sizes of square drive and combo screws.
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2006 11
FREE GATATOE & PRIGE IISTwww.sunporch.Gom
Dept. Code: AMW(20$ 557-2561
SunPorch Structures, Inc.495 Post Road EastWestport, CT 06880
SHop-MnoeSaruDtNG Blocrs
Commercial sanding blocks all have some
kind of padded bottom. Do my shop-madelocks need to be padded, too?
Yes they do. Padded blocks have two pri-
mary benefits: They increase the life of your
aper and they make it possible to use
pressure-sensitive-adhesive (PSA) paper.
Cork is the easiest way to pad a shop-made
sanding block. Cork is flat, firm and stiff
enough to sand a plug flush or flatten a
frnish. The bit of give in a cork bottom
provides some shock absorption for the
individual grains of abrasive so they are
not so easily knocked off the paper. This
helps your sandpaper last longer.
It's also much easier to remove PSA
paper from a cork bottom than from bare
wood. PSA paper can be cut exactly to fit your
sanding block, so there's
no waste. Regular paPer
has to be cut oversize so
you can hold the PaPeronto the block with your
hand.
To make a padded
sanding block, glue a
piece of l/8- or l/*in.-
thick cork (available in
hardware stores or home
centers) onto the wood.
Wood glue works fine as
an adhesive; just be sure
to keep the glue layer very
thin because cork is
porous and the glue can
easily seep into it.
1/8" CORK
Make paddedsanding blocksby gluing corkonto a woodblock.Trim theexcess.Then cutand shape theblock to fit yourhand (see photo,r ight).
. Build it in a weekend!
. Converts from screensb windows in minutes!
' Factory dircct pricing,delivered to your door.
. Standatd & custom sizes.' Meets codes fior snow
and wind loads.
If you have a question you'd like
answered, send it to us at
Quesion & Arcwer' Americmfttodrmrtcq 29f5 Cmmers Ddc'e,Sufue 700, F+g'., MN 55121 oremailo@-Sorry, but fhe volume of mail pre-vents us from answering eachquestion individually.
GOIIIPTETE KITREAIIY.TO-ISSEIIIBTE
OlI YOUR IIEGK OR PfiTIO
12 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
Srucr Gls Nur
fl"hl managed to round-over a gibq ; f nut on my p laner 's b lade hold-
FG;Fr. l 've tried everything to freethat ntrt . Any suggestions?
A You can free a stuck nut by striking it
ffi *ittt a center punch (available at
"d" -khardware stores). Center punchesare made of hardened steel and are designedto make a dimple mark in metal as a starting
point for a drill bit. In thiscase, they work quite wellfor coaxing a stubborn nutloose.
Place the point of thepunch on the flat of the gibnut so a light hammer blowwill turn the nut in thedesired direct ion. Thepoint on the punch will diginto the soft gib-nut headand force the nut to turn.
American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006 13
(f,
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Fnov O'r* f f i .ReADERS
ed,ited, fu TimJohnson andBrad Holden
Betterwinding Stickswinding sticks are very useful for gauging nvist in a board,
but they're difficutt to read. My improved version of
these time-tested helpers makes the truist
stand out.I start with a Pair of straight, flat
Z-in.-wide sticks made from 3/4in'-thick
light<olored wood. Then I stain both of
them dark-the darker, the better.
When the stain is dry I cut shallow
rabbets in both faces at the toP of
both sticks. This exposes a ribbon of
light-colored wood above the stained
surface on each face. To cut the rab
bets, set the blade's height to 1/2 in.
and the rip fence L/32 in. narrower
than the stick. Rip all four rabbets
from this setting.
Joint the toP edge of one board to
remove the stain. Then rip this board
narrower by the width of the rabbet on
the other board. That's all there is to it'
During use, the narrow stick goes in
front. Any nvist in the board shows as a
dark-colored wedge between the top
of the rabbet on the near stick and the
bottom of the rabbet on the far stick'
StQhm Youngmn'an
TWIST
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14 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
SHeuow CurElrutrvATEs Tran-Our
When I crosscut hardwood PlYwood,I use an old technique to minimize tear-
out on the bottom face. I simply make
two puuses with my general-purPose
btade. After setting the rip fence, I
cut a shallow groove, no more than
L/32 \n. deep. Then I raise the
blade and cut all the way
through. Cutting PlYwoodthis way takes longer, but
I'm notin ahurryand the
tearout-free results are
worth the extra effort.
G lur SoUEEGEEI stack-laminate boards to
create turning blanks. Each
blank contains numerous lami-
nations, so I have to work fast
during assembly. To sPread
glue quickly and evenlY, I use a
squeegee designed for silk-
screening. You can buY one at
an art supply store for about $7.
(A regular window-cleaning
squeegee from the hardware
store would also work.) After
squeezing glue onto the sur-
face, I spread it with the
squeegee. The amount of Pres-sure I put on the squeegee
determines how much glue
remains on the surface-
I like to leave an even, semi-
transparent layer. It's easY to
transfer excess glue to a glue-
starved area or to the next
piece, and cleaning the Plasticsqueegee is a snaP.
Don Holknbeck
16 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
MrrutMtzE RourER BunrusEnd grain burns easily on maple and cherry and those
burns are hard to remove. After sanding my fingers to thebone following one particularly unfortunate routing pass,I came up with an easy solution that removes thoseunsightly burns without requiring that I adjust thebit's height or fuss with an edge guide.
Before routing, I put three layers ofmasking tape on the bottom ofthe board's edge, where thebit's bearing rides. Then I .make two passes. The first ,,.pass produces the l::t
rough profile, when ,.,fu ,,i. ,i,
burning is most t "\
likely to occur,After making theinitial pass, Iremove the tape androut again. This very finesecond pass removes all butthe worst burns. If this method stillleaves scorches, your feed rate is tooslow or you need a new router bit.
Stane Rnchmaninou
SECOND PASSWITH TAPE REMOVED
FIRST PASSON TAPED EDGE
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 17
Galling all Tool NutslI really don't need five cordless drills, seven routersor 24 antique hand planes, but I can't help it.l'm a tool nut. Are you?
Have you ever bought an old woodworking machine just because itlooked cool? Tried a new tool and said, "Wowl This just changed mylife!" Used a big, industrial machine and wondered how in the worldyou could sneak it into your shop?
a!
iIt
t
we'd like to hear your stories. So email or send us a letter abouta tool or machine that really gets you excited. we'll pay you $1s0 ifwe publish your story. Please include a photograph, too. We,d pre.fer a digital image, but a slide or print is oK. Visit our web site,w\ A /.americanwoodworker.com/toolnut for some examples ofwhat we've got in mind.
r,e1rtry to [email protected] or writeThe Ticol Nut, American Woodworker magazine,
TOM CASPAR,THE TOOL NUT
mers Dr,, Suite 700, Eagan, MN 55121.
RTpLAcEABLE Frrucr Facgs
It's hard to improve on the perforrnance of a
T:square fence, but I think I've done it. I got frustrated
with clamping on an additional subfence every time I
wanted to make a rabbetwith a dado set (where part of
the blade is actually housed in the fence), so I made a
new set of fence faces with interchangeable inserts'
One insert has a cutout for rabbeting; the other is
plain for ripping. When the arc in the rabbeting insert
becomes too large, I iust install a new insert.
18 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
To maintain the usefulness of the fence's scale and
cursor, I removed the original l/2-in.-thick faces and
replaced them. I made the new faces from l/2-in'
MDF and mitered the ends at 45 degrees. The original
faces were glued to the fence; I attached the new faces
with self-tapping hex-head screws. The inserts don't
need to be screwed because they slide firmly in place'
William Ahers
DOWELMAXPRECISION ENGINEERED JOINING SYSTEM
. Dowdmax - a tool designed by a woodworker for woodworkerso Precision and strength guaranteedo Precision equals strength
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Studies show 60% of shoP timeis spent sanding. Ihat's 3 daYsout of a Sday work week! Nowyou can do the same work in
less than 4 hours: a 9(M df,cHrcY ircrw.
2/3 locs cod thar elqendve wUe{dt sderdWoodmaster's industrial-duty drum sanders fill theniche between slow hand methods and expensivewide{ett sanders...at about 1/3 the cost. Andthere's no sacrifice in qualitY!Pays tu lbdf...WHlE YOU l,SE E!
Quickly pa)1s its own way and keeps on paying you inr6ouc6o finor costs, hiEher quality & faster production!
"WU'D/''A$TENlDntnffi]
GplEWfoptft|e,!"- FineWodwoffingMagazine review vs.
Performaf &Gnzlf .
F - - r r r r r r r r r r r rltiEr I
i";r*-r*,ffii-.ff:riil" w
Circle No. 177
Tapr SrvrPLIFIESGlurNG Mlr rnJoTNTS
Let's face ic Gluing mitered
frames is a hassle. You need
four, five or even six hands-or
the time-honored shop staple,
masking hpe. I like the good,
strong blue kind. You'll need
one piece for each corner. Lay
the masking tape face up and
place the joint's pieces tip to
tip on the tape. Spread a thin,
even coat of glue on both faces
of the joint. Fold together the
pieces for each joint using the
tape as a hinge. For small
frames, the tape alone can be
enough to hold the joint while
the glue dries. On large
frames, the tape securely holds
the parts in place while you
apply clamps.
MarthaJones
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2ooo 19
fuA Fno Cfrloe &To Hnd lbur locrl frodcnfiSlur, Ultltwww.woo&nftcom 0rGallf,I}6l2-gtl5.
Wnrn woodworking is your passion,
woodworking tools, supplies and expertadvice from Woodcraft can help take your
woodworking to the next level.
New At Woodcratt!Slick SawrM is a durable mylar/nylon composiie material that, whenapplied to the base 0f your power t001, is designed t0 protect laminatetops, ille, paneling and other delicate cutting sur{aces. Slick Saw utilizes aremovable adhesive so fte overlay can be easily removed 0r repositioned.Eest of all, it won't leave a sticky residue 0n the t001. Slick SawsrM areavailable in a variety ot sizes t0 fit most popular power tools:
Circular $aw. Frts Most Corded Right Hand Saws. {rqrosnJig Saw . . . . Designed Forlhe Bosch Jig Sau 8ut
Fib Most Manufacturers' Models nqroos)Router . . . . . Fils Mosi 6" Base Routers prroeelIlim Foubr. . Available To Fit Eilher Square orzrooi
0r Round Bases {r;ogsr
oBDtW06wl09Q
Circle No. '165 Circle No. 175
' q ^ ; r ' r ' . . r ii / i : r ' : . . ' l
r i - 1 ! i i \'!i _t i . . ,
1, . . , j
( lountersink f lrst, clr i l l thc pi lot hole
secon(1. That l't 't2l\/ sotlllcl backrvarcl, but
it's the easicst \vzl)' to ellstlre a Perfectlvsn-looth cotrntersink. I trsccl to clrill tl-re
pi lot hole f irst ot ' t the clr i l l press, btrt i f
that hole rvas relatively laree or the lv<lod
quite clettsc, the cottutersink bit u'otr ld
i r - rev i tab ly
c h a t t e r
and make
zrn ugly, rotrgh sttrface.
One day I tried the cottn-
tersink bit first rvith r-ro pilot
l'role. What a diff-erer-rce! It
rnade a per-fect couical
depr-ess ion. I t ' s easv to
l<lcate the hole becattse a
cotrntersitrk bit has a sharP
t ip . Center ins the p i lo t
hole is eas)', too. A twist bit
practiczrll,v positions itself ir-r
the holc's bottour.
Caspar
1&?."i i l{ it 'r: r,eita $1'1{}.t.& t i i.; *;l'e';l i.-i q I r.uin; i I t :l :,"ir lr{
;* ;qn ;.t s. ii l;:ti iir.i. tri.t.i,,i ; ill.r]tr li I
I * t" "nT. t l. I t' 1it:* r l'ii,'.i ti I i.l' I i i' t I
, Sencl vottr-origirtal tip to trs
nith a sketch or photo. If'rve
: print it, l'orr'll be rr'oothvorkil-tg
in stvle. F-mail your tiP to work-
: shoptips@readersdigeslcom
or send it to Workshop Tips,
; American Woodworker, 2915
Co--.rs Drive, Suite 700,
, Eagan, MN 55121.
Strbnrissiotts citn' t l tc t-ett tr tred
, zurcl bccotne otlr px)pertv
tr;>on ircceptzurce itttcl par'
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Arrow Fastener Co., Inc., 271 Mayhil l Street, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07663Canada: Jardel Distr ibutors, Inc.,-6505 Metropoli tan Blvd. East, Montreal, Quebec H1P 1X9Unitea Kingdom: Arrow Faitener (U.K.) Ltd., Unit 5 ZK Park, 23 Commerce Way, Croydon CRO 425, Surreywww.arrowfastener.com Rev.1oo2
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Great Bandsaw FenceIA/h.t it comes to success-
V Y ruuy resawing on the
bandsaw, the fence can make it
or break it. Kreg's Precision
Bandsaw Fence, $120, Provideseverything you could ask for in a
bandsaw fence.If you're going to resaw You've
got to carch the drift-the band-
sawblade's drift, that is. Drift com-
pensation on the Kreg fence (see
photo, tighQ is easilY done,
accomplished by two bolts con-
necting the fence's bodY to its
head. Great instnrctions are
induded in the o\Mner's manual-
notjust for setting uP the fence,
but also for finding the drift angle
of abandsawblade.Like a T:square tablesaw
fence, the Kreg bandsaw fence
clamps only at one end, Yet it's
rigid enough to resist flexing,
even under demanding resaw
Hljj":il'*',fi"H"T; 2screws that allow You to fine-
hrne the face of the fence, guaranteeing it's square to
ttre table and parallel with the blade.
The body of the fence contains T*lots that let you
mount accessories or your own taller fence faces'
Additionally, the T+lot in the top of the fence allows
you to reposition the fence flat on the table. This is a
great safety feanrre, because it lets you keep the upper
Srid. close to your work when cutting thin stock.
Kreg's fence is designed to fit most l4in. bandsaws,
including those from Delta, General, Gnzzly,Jet and
Ridgid. It will certainly work on other saws but may
Dy George Vondriska
require drilling the table to mount the guide rail.
Accessories available for the Ikeg bandsaw fence
include a Microadjuster and two additional resaw
guides. The Microa{uster, $15, can be used to fine-
tune the fence position. This is a handy addon if you
plan on cutting veneers or other small parts.You can
also add a 4l/2-in or 7-in. single-point resaw guide
for $18 and $20 respectivelY.Source Kreg Tools, (8OO) 447-8638, rrwvw.kregtools'com Kreg
Precision Bandsaw Fence, #KM57200' $120. Kreg Microadiuster,
#KMS7215, $15. Kreg 4-112-in. resaw guide, #KMS7213, $18' Kreg
7-in. resaw guide, #KMS7214, $20.
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22 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2()()6
Srreu Crrv Toot- WonrcsEmrens Mnnrgr
The woodworking industry has been buzzin$ with in your area. Locate a dealer by checking the compa-
rumors about a new tool company on the horizon, ny's Web page or calling its toll-free customer service
and I finally got to see what the buzz is all about. number.
Steel City Tool Works, based in Murfreesboro,
Tenn., is introducing a complete line of more than Source Steel City Tool Works' {8771724-8665'lcltff" lJ ll lLl\'(ruLurSr 4 Lvurl,rvLv "^^-_ "^ -^_^ *---
WWW.StgelCitytOOlWOfkS.COm
30 new woodworking tools at the 2006
International Woodworking Fair in fu \-* :
Atlanta this August. The line
includes tablesaws, jointers, dust col-
lectors, sanders and more.
Steel City Tool Works is a new
company, but the folks running the
show aren't new to the industrY.
They bring an impressive list of cre-
dentials to the table, with many
years of experience at a varietY of
well-known tool comPanies.You can look for distribution of
Steel City tools through retail stores i
DnILL-PRESS Lasrn Gutor
I-asers are lighting the way toward woodworking's
fufirre, and here's an excellent application'of laser tech-
nologp a drill-press laser guide that maintains calibration
no matter where you place the drill-press table' The
secret lies in its use of trnto lasers. A onelaser setup can
only be used to c:nt a single point of light to mark the
spot and the calibration goes kerflooey evgry time you
raise or lower the drill-press table. This truolaser setup
casts two lines. The intersection of the lines a/arays indi-
cates center of the drill chuck, no matter how high or low
the table-very cool.It took me about 10 minutes of setup and alignment
to get this dualJaser unit working. First, you clamp the
laser unit to the column of the drill press with the includ-
ed hose clamp. With the included alignment tool in the
drill-press chuck, you dial the lasers in one at a time' The
written directions are good, and the Process is simple'
You'll need to provide your own $volt battery to power
the unicThe lasers are plenty bright" even under good shop
lighting. Once they're sighted in, you're ready to shoot
holes right where you want 'em, every time.
Source Woodcraft Supply. (800) 22$1153, www'woodcraft'com
DrilFpress laser, #1 216709. $4O.
24 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
2 Beamsn$.ice
the
. 2 Beam Laser focuses cut line betweentwo beams
o Powerful 13 amp,2.5 HP motor
. Grip-RightrM handle for ergonomic control
o Anti-snag lower guard reduces snagswhen making narrow cuts
. Spindle lock secures spindle for easyblade changes
DrcrrALRrnoourFOR YOUNPlnrurn
Benchtop planers'
performance has come
a long way, and the
machines can be
used to do very pre-
cise work. But getting
a precise reading off
the planer's scale can
be tough, so I usually
end up using calipers
to measure board
thickness. Well, put
away your calipers,
because now you can
make your planer
measures up using
the Wixey Electronic
Digital Readout for
benchtop planers,
$60.
The Wixey scale can be attached to a
variety of machines and calibrated for
precision. Once calibrated, the digital
readout provides millimeters displayed
in decimal to .001 mm or in inches dis-
played either in decimal to .001 in. or in
fractions to 7/32 in. The scale can be
zeroed at any thickness setting, which is
useful if you need to return to a given
thickness for a later operation.
Installation of the digital readout is straightforward, and the
instructions are good. Calibration is easy to do. The readout
can be used to indicate the thickness of the board coming out
of the planer or to indicate how much material is being
removed per pass. The readout's low position forces you to
bend over to see it. It would be nice if it angled upward. It
would also be nice if the readout had an automatic shutoff.
I'm sure to forget to shut it off a time or two, and a dead bat-
tery means recalibration of the tool.
The Wixey Electronic Digital Readout fits planers from
Craftsman, DeWalt, Delta, Jet, Makita, Ridgid and Ryobi.
Check the Wixey Web site for the specific model numbers of
compatible machines.
Source Wixey, www.wixey.com Electronic Digital Readout, #WR500, $60.
26 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
rTUE.lFO
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some other cool fea-tures as well. Prices range
from $190 for the 12-in.benchtop machine to $600
for the 2Gin. machine. The laser
guide operates like the drill-press laser unit
described on page 24; it casts two lines
on your work so the intersection
always indicates the center.The 12-in., lFin. and 17-in.
models have keyless chucks,
CoMPLETE Rouren Pacrace
What first impressed me when I opened the Tiiton
router package was the kit's completeness.
Everything you need is there, including dust col-
lection, fence and template guides. Add the fact
that this plunge-based router is one of the few
that are easy to adjust in a router table, and
this is quite a kit.
The Triton MoFOO1KC router' $200' has an
unusual design that takes a little getting used to,
but the controls work well. Above- and below-the-
base dust collection is included. Both ports connect
to a7-l/2-in. hose and work well at grabbing dust.
An oversize baseplate comes with the kit' This
works great as an outrigger to prevent the router from
tipping. It also accepts the included fence assembly.
The baseplate also acts as a circle-cuttingjig.
The Triton MOFO01KC has a 2-L/Lhp, l3-amp
motor with variable speed of 8,000 to 20,000 rpm and
a soft start. The hole in the base is 3-in. diameter so
won't accept some of the larger panel-raising bits.
In addition to the router. the kitincludes both l/2-in.
and 1/4.in. collets and seven guide bushings. It wilt
also accept Porter-Cable-style guide bushings.
With the router hanging in a table and the rack
and pinion disengaged, you can use the included
Dnul PnrssWITH LNSCNS
' If you're in the market
' for a drill press with the'
lu,.st duallaser guides,
Crafuman has Youcovered Isfour
,' new l2-in.,lF
{ in., 17-in. and 2Gin. models include
a handy con-
venience. The
four machines
have 1/}-hp,
L/Z-hp,3/+hpand l-hpmotors,r e s p e c t i v e l y .The three small-er machineshave an a{ust-able work light, so you can see where you're boring.
Left-handed woodworkers will appreciate the quill
handle on the 15-in. machine: It can be used on
either side.
Source Craftsman, (800) 3494358, www.sears.com 12-in. drillpress, #21911, $190. 1Sin. drillpress, #22900, $320. 17-in. drillpress,#22901, $446. 2Gin. drill press, #22902, 5600.
table winder handle to move the motor up and down.
This requires drilling a L/Z-in' hole in your router
table. It's recommended that you reach under the
table and lock the motor in place before running the
router. The collet can be brought up through the
table for bit changes. The spindle automatically locks
in this position, and the on-off switch is locked out.
(You should still unplug your router for bit changes.)
Source Triton Manufacturing, (888) 874-866'1, www.triton.com.auTriton MOFOO1 KC router, $200.
28 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
Bnev SnTDER Pacrcs A PuwcHDon't be fooled by is size: Grizzly's new l2-in. Baby Drum
Sander may fit on your benchtop, but it's not a portable tool.It weighs 199 pounds, so it needs a sturdy home. The Baby ispowered by a l-1/2-hp, 18-amp motor and really hogs offwood, especially with an aggressive abrasive on the head. A sec-ond motor drives its conveyor belt. The conveyor speed can bevaried from 0 to 15 feet per minute. Gizzly recommends a25-amp circuit for this tool. It cannot be rewired for 220 volts.
A:tfi425, this Baby is a labor-saving tool that d^ekans good per-formance without contractingyour wallet too much. (OK I mayhave overworked the "baby" angle there.) Kidding aside, this isa tool that's worth a look, unless you really enjoy sanding withportable sanders.
The sanding drum uses hook-and-loop sandpaper. A b0-ft.roll of abrasive, $30, contains eight applications of sandpaper.Although the hook-and-loop atrachment does a good job ofgrabbing the paper, you must also tape the ends to keep themfrom coming loose. This step is a bit of a pain, compared toprepping other drum sanders with mechanical binders, butthe system works.
Grizzly recommends a dust collector that provides at least400 cfm at the machine. I was surprised to see a2-l/2-in dustport on top of the sander, instead of a 4in, but equally sur-prised at how good dust collection was on this machine.
The Baby comes almost completely assembled. Maximumwidth capacity of this tool is 12 in.; maximum thickness is3-3/4 in. The shortest piece of stock you can sand is 8 in. andthe thinnest is 1/8 in.
Source Grizzly, (800) 5234777, www.grizzly.com 1 2jn Baby Drum Sander,#G0459. $425.
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 29
Y0urfim pffi ioiner may not'be a'Lamelio,but we're certain your last one will. ltmakes sense thatthe people who invented$etechnique of biscuitjoining would buildthe world's finest plate joiner. TheseSwiss made, precision crafted tools arethe most accurate, repeatable, rugged,reliable machines on the planet
Here are just a few of tre reasons $at makefiem tre last plate joiner you'll ever need:
o All slides and contact surfaces arenachined (ratherftan drawn or castltoensure absolute precision and flatness
o All guide surfaces are coated toensure fluid motion and maximum life
o Every machine is inspected fordimensional accuracy and groovetolerance of .fl)l"
e Guaranteed availability of spare partsfor 10 years
o Consistently rated the uhimate biscuitjoiner by trade journals
And, Lamello makes more tran just greatPlate Joiners, our Cantex Lipping Planersand Lamina Laminate Trimmers are musthave tools for the serious woodworkerlooking for the uhimate in quality.
Golonial $aw Gompany, Inc.
EAST r-888-777-2729wEsT 1-800-252-6355www.csawc0m/01
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30 sEPTEMBER 2ooo American
WHan ts Krnrronr?Kerfl<ore is a very
f l e x i b l epanel made
of 3/&in.-wideribs spaced l/8
1/8' in. apart on a
SPACES paper backer sheel
The spaces between
the ribs allor,rn the board to flex. The flexible backer sheet
provides a smooth surhce for veneering. The ribs in diG
ferentKerfkore products are made of particleboard,lgan
plywood, poplar plywood, MDR firerated treated particle
board or lightrveight styrene foam. These different cores
have different weights, strengtls and screw-holding char-
acteristics. The particleboard core works well for general-
purpose doors, such as those for kirchen cabinets.
Kerfkore with paper backer on both sides is also
available. This makes the material more rigid and
somewhat easier to handle and enables you to create a
curve that turns into a straight nrn. To make the two
sided variety bend, you cut the backer on one side with
a utility knife where you need the bend to occur.
Kerfl<ore comes in 4ft by &ft sheets rnl/+rn.,3/&rn.'
l/2-in., 5/&in. and 3/4-,in- thicknesses and costs
between $40 and $125 per sheet (see Sources, page 36).
Prcr Youn Veruren1 Your three main veneer choices are two-ply wood
I uen"e, (shown here), phenolic-backed (plast ic- laminate)
wood veneer or vert ical-grade plast ic laminate.The two-ply veneer is the most f lexible of the three and is easi ly
cut with a ut i l i ty knife or scissors.The phenolic-backed
veneer and plast ic laminate must be sawn or scored and
snapped.The cut edge of the two-ply veneer leaves a dark
l ine that may show on your f inished door, depending on
the wood species and the f inish you apply.The phenolic-
backed veneer and plast ic laminate both leave a black
edge l ine.
\FRONTCURVE
Mnrcr a Fult--Stzr DnnwlrucO Use a top-view drawing to determine the size of the
1 Kertkore panel and the angles at the edges.The width
of the Kerfkore should be the outer circumference of the
curve minus 1-112in. to 2 in. for the solid-wood edges.Themeasurement is easy to take using a flexible curve.Calculate the angles of the edges by drawing a line tan-gent to the front curve at the corner of the door and thenmeasure the angle with a protractor.
Appt-v rHE Fnorur VrrurEn FtnsrO Use contact cement and work flat when applying the first
J sheet of veneer. Working flat may seem odd, but when you
do so, the contact cement remains flexible and a good bond is
ensured.The panel will gain a bit of stiffness but will remain
flexible enough to form to its final shape later on'
32 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
lt
,f:r: : i'i : i i
J : . r T : j
i f f i
Ano Solro-WooD EocrsFOR STRENGTH, APPERRANCE
zl Sol id-wood str ips provide durable f inished edgesltwhen the door is done' Each str ip can be up to 1 in.
wide. Leave a 1/8-in. gap between the solid-wood strip
and the adjacent r ib to maintain maximum flexibi l i ty.Attach the strip with contact cement. After the edgestr ips are attached, use a small router and a shop-made edge guide (Photo 8) to tr im the veneer f lush
around the entire Panel.
Cur rHE EDGEsTO THE RTOUINED ANGLE
X lt 's easier and safer to cut the angles on the panel
Jwhile i t 's f lat, rather than after i t has been curved.Cut at the angles you measured on the ful l-size drawing(Photo 2).The panel is suff iciently st i f f at this stage that
i t saws much l ike a normal piece of plywood.
ArrncH THE BAcK VENEERwrrH YELLow Wooo GluEf,Yellow glue dries st i f f and helps the curved door hold(Jits shape.The folks at Kerfkore recommend yel lowglue for both two-ply and phenolic-backed veneer.Thegrain on the back of two-ply veneer runs 90 degrees toits face side and adds st i f fness to the door when theglue dr ies .
Arracn rHE Bacr VrrurrnWITH A VACUUM PNESS
?A curved form-made from two curved ribs and a spare
/ piece of Kerfkore covered with plastic laminate-providethe shape. A vacuum bag provides clamping pressure'
Mark centerl ines on the form and on the ends of thedoor. Line up the marks prior to clamping to ensure the
curved door ends up straight after the glue dries. Withthe whole assembly in a vacuum bag (see Sources,page 36), pump the air out. Nett ing in the bag prevents
air pockets from forming. Let the glue dry completelybefore you remove the door'
American Woodworker
Tnrvr rHr CURVEDEocEsQ This shop-made edge gu ide
O (see photos, be low) s imPl i -f ies routing the veneer on thecurved edges.The guide fencehas an ang led open ing andclearance slot that al low it totr im around the curved over-hanging veneer . l t works equal -ly well on the convex and theconcave sides of the door.Youcan use e i ther ba l l -bear ing-gu ided s t ra ight b i t or a s tan-dard s t ra ight b i t w i th th is gu ide.The edge guide is slotted so itsfence can be adjusted flush withthe edge of the router bit.
SLOT
(
.+ta*
Kerf korer Roarockit , (41 6) 938-4588, www.roarockrt.com
36 American Woodrvorker SEPTEMBER 2006
itffitrt.53e, www kerfkore comSourcess ided , $125
Kerfkore, 3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. single-sided, $104; 3/4Thin Air Press k i t vacuum press, #01301, $55.
Venrrn rHE ENDS AND TntvtFlusHCI Apply veneer to the end with contactJ cement or ye l low g lue and t r im f lush.When al l edges and veneers are tr immed, thedoors can be instal led. Hanging a curved dooris not dif f icult . Butt hinges go on the same wayas they do with a f lat door. For European-stylehinges, support the door on the dri l l -presstab le so the h inge-ho le dr i l l b i t dr i l l s square tothe surface of the door. l f the hinge-cup screwsland in a gap between the wood r ibs, squeezein some epoxy glue as a f i l ler and anchor'
x 4 f t . x S f t . d o u b l e -
.,.with myleigh lig!"
u&bi6dbogszJoining Tradition With TodaY
MATERIALSAND Supplres
SeruopnpenSandpaper is used to flatten the
finish and remove dust nibs and brush
marks. Stearated aluminum-oxide sandpa-
per is by far the best product for sanding afinish. Stearated paper has dry lubricants that
help prevent "corning" or the balling up of finish
on the paper. Wetdry silicon-carbide paper balls uplike crazy if you don't use water as a lubricant. The
trouble with wet sanding is the water slurry canmake it difficult to see your progress.
SYrurHerc SrEEL WooLI used synthetic steel wool on both water- and oil-
based polyurethane. Traditional steel wool is notrecommended forwater-based finishes; it sheds steelparticles that leave a mess and give the user steel
wool slivers. Synthetic steel wool pads equivalent to
00 steel wool are widely available at home centersand hardware stores. Fine synthetic wool equivalentto 0000 steel wool is harder to find. I had good luckat auto-body supply stores and mail-order wood-working suppliers (see Sources, page 4l).
PowoeRED AennsrvEsPumice and rottenstone are sold at some paint
stores and at woodworking suppliers. Pumice isground volcanic glass that comes in grades fromlF (coarse) to 4F (fine). Rottenstone is even finerthan 4F pumice. It's made of ground limestone (see
Sources).
Burlo A Gooo FourunATtoNFOR THE FIITIISH
l. I use 22Lgrttsandpaper for final sanding on rawwood. I alwap sand a little bit longer than I think isnecessary. Then I vacuum thoroughly and wipe thewood with a clean, soft cloth until I stop getting duston my fingers when I run them over the wood.
2. Use grain filler on open-pored woods, such asoak or walnut. Otherwise after mbbing out, the poreswill look shiny compared with the rest of the wood.
3. Before appl)nng finish on any project, test differ-ent finishing options on scrap pieces of wood. Water-and oil-based polyurethane finishes look completelydifferent. If the color doesn't look right or seems toobland, which is sometimes a problem with water-based finishes, use a sealer coat of clear, war-freeshellac or experiment with stains tci warm the colorof the wood before applylng the topcoats.
4. I applied a gloss polyurethane on my tabletopbecause it can be rubbed to any sheen from flat tosemi-gloss. I used a semi-gloss poly on the rest of thetable. Vertical surfaces and legs don't collect the
I ffre Probtem: A few dust nibs, broken brush bristles andI bubbles are almost inevitable on big horizontal surfaces fin-ished with slow-drying polyurethane.
Q ffr" Solution: Fiatten the surface imperfections with 600-grit^Q sandpaper on a sanding block (or 400-grit followed by 600 ifthe surface is really a mess). Sand just enough to flatten bubbles,dust nibs and ridges, but don't try to sand away all the shiny spots.
Q extra care should be taken when sanding near the edges ofr-,t a tabletop to avoid sanding through. Sand the 2 to 3 in.nearest the edge first. Short strokes make it easier to controlthe block. After the edges are done, sand the centers with longstrokes that overlap the sanded border.
American Woodworker 39
f nuO out the f inish using a medium synthetic abrasive pad*f
(OO steel wool equivalent). Rub unti l you get a f lat, evensheen across the entire surface.
I Switctr to a fine synthetic abrasive wool (0000 steel woolr-- l equivalent) to bring the f inish to a satin sheen.
dust the way a flat, horizontal top does. A light buff:
ing with steel wool will clean the occasional dust nib
on vertical surfaces.
5. Sand with 320- to 400-grit stearated paPer
between coats, depending on how smooth the coat
looks. Use a sanding block to level ridges and bumps.
With a gloss finish, coarser paper may leave scratches
that are visible through subsequent layers of poly.
6. Apply an extra coat or n^/o of polyurethane on
tabletops for more durability, depth and protection.
Lay the last coat on a little thick to Protect against
accidentally rubbing through the top layer of finish.
Remember, polyurethane does not melt into itself
the way shellac or lacquer do. Each layer sits on top
of the previous one, so there is a danger of sanding
through one layer into the next. This will leave a vis-
ible ghost line where the top layer was sanded
through. If this happens, you need to reapply the
last layer of polyurethane and start over.
7. Finish the test boards at the same time you're
finishing your tabletop. Use these sample pieces to
make sure the finish is properly cured and ready to
rub out. Then experiment on them to get a feel for
rubbing out.
The No.l rule for asuccessfi"rl rubout is tolet the finish fullv cure.
8. Let the finish fully cure! This is most important
for a successful nrbout. A finish that has not cured
will not be hard enough to take an even scratch pat-
tern from abrasives. The result will be an uneven
sheen. Polyurethane should cure for two weeks to a
month after the last coat is applied. If the finish balls
up on the sandpaper or it won't buffout to more than
a satin sheen, let it sit for another week or two.
SvoorH AND F nrEruTHE FITVISH
It seems completely counterintuitive, but to make
a finish really shine, you have to start by sanding it
dull (Photo 2). Sanding removes dust nibs and
brush marks and leaves the frnish smooth and flat.
Caution: Finish tends to be thinner at tabletop
edges. Use special care in these areas to avoid sand-
ing through (Photo 3).
9. Apply consistent, light pressure as you sand.
When you're done, the surface should feel smooth
and level and will still have a few small shiny spots.
Don't feel that you have to completely erase everyj] for a semi-gloss sheen, continue rubbing with f ine synthetic1. abrasive wool lubricated with soapy water.
40 American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2ooo
visual defect at this point-just go for a smooth feel.
Unless you have lots of bubbles to flatten, you should
only need to sand five to 10 strokes in any given area
with the 600-grit sandpaper. Sand dry so you can see
what's happening to the finish, and change paper
often. Vacuum all the sanding dust off the surface
and wipe with a damp cloth. Tackcloths can be used
on oil-based poly but not on water-based.
Rue ro AN Evrru, FLAT Surrru10. Begin rubbing-out with medium-grade, (00 steel
wool equivalent) synthetic abrasive pads (Photo 4).
This is where the finish begins to come to life, taking
on an attractive, flat sheen with no visible defects.
Rus ro A Snrrru SHrerull. Clean the top with a damp cloth and continue
buffing with fine synthetic abrasive wool (0000 steel
wool equivalent) (Photo 5). Rub until the whole
piece has an even, satiny sheen, and then rub a little
more. There's not much danger of rubbing through
the finish at this point.
Rue ro A Srvu-Gloss12. To bring up the sheen even more, use soapy
water or paraffin oil as a lubricant for the abrasive
wool (Photo 6). Rub thoroughly; then wipe dry.
13. If that's still not enough shine for you, rub the
entire surface with 4F-grade pumice. After sprinkling
the pumice on the surface, rub it into a paste with
water and a dampened rag (Photo 7). Wipe the slur-
Dealingwirh
MoldedEdges
Avoid using sandpaper on mold-ed edges, table legs and othervertical surfaces. The risk of cut-t ing through the f in ish wi th thesandpaper is just too great.lnstead, rub molded edges withsynthetic abrasive pads and rubto the sheen of the top.
'Ff Using f iner and f iner abrasives brings the sheen closer to ad tutt gloss. Start with f inest-grade (4F) pumice lubricated with
water and a moist rag, fol lowed by rottenstone. With these f inergri ts, i t 's OK to use a circular motion as you rub.
ry away, and then repeat the process with rotten-
stone. Keep firm pressure on the rag, and sprinkle
more of the powder or water as needed. Continue
rubbing in any direction until your arms hurt and
the finish looks satisfactory. Now your furniture has
the good-looking finish it deserves.
Sources Home centers and hardware stores 3M packs oftwo finishing pads, 00 steel wool equivalent, $3. 3M Sandblaster400-grit stearated aluminum oxide paper, $4 for a pack of six. oWoodworker's Supply, (800) 645-9292, www.woodworker.comOilfree abrasive wool, fine (000 to 0000 equivalent), #1 15-271,$18 for a 4.35-liter box; medium (1 to 00 equivalent), #115-274,$18 for a 4.35-liter box. 4F pumice stone, 1 lb., #849-832, $6.Rottenstone. 1 lb. #849-839, $6.
American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006 41
rederTINssly dog's energetic tail inspired this cabinet.
Anything within wagging range was
endangered, including a number of my
favorite antique toys. After one-too-many near misses, I
decided to move these small treasures to safety-above
the wag line and behind glass. The cabinet I built for
them measures about 27 \n. wide by 32 in. tall, so it's
small enough to fitjust about anywhere.
This elegant cabinet is deceptively easy to build,
thanks to a couple ofjigs that make quick work of the
most challenging joinery: the doors' mitered, half-
ffi}etDy TimJohnson
Simpl. jigt create stylish joints.
lapped muntins. The cabinet itself assembles with bis-
cuits; the door frames use simple loose-tenon joinery.
I spent about $110 for top-grade cherry but most of
the cabinet parts are short or narroq so you can save
money by buyrng lower-grade boards and cutting
around knots. The door panels provide a perfect set-
ting for one of your treasure boards-I've been saving
the piece of spalted maple that I used to make my
panels for years. I paid $15 for a 2-ft. x 4ft. sheet of
| / 4lin. cherry plywood to make the back.
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Materials15 bd. ft. of 414 cherry3 bd. ft. of 514 cherry2 bd. ft. of 514 spalted
mapleO n e 2 f t . x 4 f t . s h e e t
of 114-in. cherry plywood
HardwareFour no-mort ise hingesTwo knobsTwo pieces of glassTwo rare earth magnet
doorstop setsEight she l f p insTwo keyhole brackets112-in. wire bradsWood glue
ToolsJointerPlanerTablesawDri l l press or shelf pin-hole
dr i l l ing gu ideDr i l lRouter table and router114-in. slot cutter and arborRabbeting bit with oversize
bearing
1/16-in. straight bit112-in. and l- in. bench
chiselsBacksawHammerScrewdriver
Cost: approximately $165
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CABINETHANGER
Dernt 1 Top Pnonu
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4 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
BUILD THE CnerNrrThisjoinery is as simple as it gets: four piecesjoined
with biscuits. The back, top and bottom are glued on.
1. Cut the cabinet sides (A), ends (B), adjustable
shelves (C) top (D) and bottom (E) to size (Fig. A,
page 44; Cutting List, page 49).
2. Rout rabbets in the cabinet sides for the
back (F) .
3. Drill or rout holes in the cabinet sides for shelf
pins. Installing the pins in the center holes will posi-
tion the adjustable shelves directly behind the doors'
horizontal muntins and middle rails. For maximum
adjustability, drill additional holes in the sides so they
run full length.
4. Cut slots for No. 10 biscuis in the sides and ends.
5. Glue the sides and ends together. Make sure the
cabinet is square.
6. Drill holes for the rare earth magnet cups.
7. Temporarily install four shelf pins (see Sources,
page 49) so you can cut the adjustable shelves to final
length.
8. Bevel the front and ends of the top on the table-
saw with the blade tilted 30 degrees (Detail 1, page
44). With the doors installed, the overhang on the
front and sides will closely match. Plane, scrape or
sand the top's beveled surfaces to remove the saw
marks.
9. Glue on the top and bottom.
10. Fit the plywood back; then install it with glue
and nails.
ll. Mount the cabinet hangers (see Sources) after
drilling clearance holes for the screws on which they
will hang. These keyhole-style hangers can be surface-
or flush-mounted. To flush-mount them, you'll have
to rout shallow mortises.
BUILD THE DoonsThe frame-and-panel doors feature simple loose-
tenon joinery. These joints are strong and easy to
make.Just rout grooves in the stiles and rails and mill
tenon stock to fit the grooves. Door frames made from
straightgrained stock will look the best.
12. Cut the stiles (H) and rails (f) to final size.
These pieces must be straight and flat. To get consis-
tent, accurate widths, I rip these pieces slightly over-size and then run them on edge through my planer.The rails would be too short to plane individually, so Icut them from long blanks that have already been
planed to width. Set aside a couple extra pieces of thisI-1/4in.-vnde stock to use later, while dialing in your
setup for makins and fitting the muntinjoints.
13. Rout centered grooves in one long edge of thestiles and rails with a l/Lin. slot<utting bit (see
Sources, page 49). Make sure the grooves leave a7/4in,-wide lip on the top edge. Use your router table'sfence to set the grooves' l/Lin. depth.
I ffre door frames assemble with splines that fit in centered groovesI (Fig. A). First rout grooves in the inside edges of all the stiles andrails.Then use a sled to rout grooves in the ends of the rails.
Qnesaw a board to make panels for the doors. Opening the two( resawn pieces l ike a book reveals mirror- image, book-matchedpanels. Assemble the doors after f i t t ing the panels.
Qnout rabbets for glass in both assembled doors. lnstal l anr. loversize bearing (see Sources, page 49) so the rabbet match-es the groove's depth. Posit ion the bit so the top of i ts cut is cen-tered in the groove. Routing simply removes the lower l ip.
BEARING
GROOVE ii,4' il
American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006 45
To rout the mitered rabbets, clamp the rabbeting j ig atthe center of the glass opening on each st i le and rai l .
( nout t iny rabbets with a t iny straight bit .The j ig's rai lsJguide the router so the bit cuts just shy of the j ig's
mitered notch.
Finish each mitered rabbet by paring i t f lush with theshoulders of the notch.
14. Rout grooves in the ends of the rails using a
sled (Photo l). Keep the same fence setting from the
previous step.Install the rail in the sled and then raise
the bit to match the groove in the rail's long side.
15. Make spline stock. For strength, the grain on
solid-wood splines should run across the joint, just
like the tenon on a rail. Saw splines (K) from a board
that you've thicknessplaned to fit the grooves. Make
the splines oversize in length so they can be trimmed
flush after the doors are glued together.
16. Make panels (L) for the doors (Photo 2). Ifyou
want to resaw and bookmatch the panels, you'll need
to start with a board that's at least I in. thick. Your'
board must also be at least 12 in. long, so the resawn
blanks can be jointed and planed. Bookmatching is
uln*ys somewhat risky, because you never know what
resawing will reveal. Nonmatched or even asymmetri-
cal panels can be equally attractive, as long as they
complement one other and the cabinet. For a more
subdued appearance, choose panels made from the
same wood as the cabinet.
17. Cut the panels to final size. Then rout rabbets
all around the back to create the l/4in.-thick
tongues that fit the grooves in the stiles and rails.
18. Sand the panels and apply the finish. Prefinishing
guarantees that seasonal movement in the assembled
door won't reveal unfinished areas of the panel.
19. Dry-fit the stiles, rails, splines and panels. Then
glue together each door, making sure they're flat and
square.
20. Rout rabbets for the glass (Photo 3). After rout-
ing, square the rabbets' corners with a chisel.
2f . Mill stock for the glass retainers (Q). Tti- these
pieces to fit later, after you've applied the finish.
22. Mount the doors by installing the nomortise
hinges. Make sure the doors are flushwith the cabinet
sides and centered between the top and bottom. Tiim
This jig creates mitered rabbets in the door stiles andrails. The jig's rails guide the router when you rough-cutthe rabbet. The V-shaped notch guides the chisel duringthe finish cuts.
DISTANCE BETWEENROUTER BASE EDGE ANDROUTER BIT, MINUS 1/64"
46 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
the inside edges to create a slender gap of l/16 in. or
less between the doors.
23. I-ocate the holes for the doorknobs and mag-
net washers.
24. Remove the doors and drill the holes.
Marce AND lrusrau-THE DOON MUruINS
The mitered halGlap muntin joints (Fig. D, page
48) look like a woodworking tour de force, but they
aren't difficult to make. Consistently sized muntin
blanks, a couple of precisely made jigp and a ruzor-
sharp chisel are the kep to success.
25. Mill extra muntin blanks to rxe while making
the jigrs, along with the extra rail stock you've already
milled. Test your jigs and procedures on this exba
stock. Don't start work on the real doors until your
test joints fi t perfectly.
This jig creates mitered half-lap tenons on the endsof the muntins.
CENTERED45'MITER CUTS
F7fn" mitering j ig stabi l izes the thin, slender muntins so you canJ accurately miter the ends. First, rough-cut the miters on the
vertical muntins.
Qfare the mitered ends, using the jig to support the chisel. PareLleach vertical muntin to final length by test-fitting it in thedoor's mitered rabbets.
Saw half-laps on the ends of each mitered muntin using the mitering jig, your miter gaug6 and the rip fence.You can dialin the exact width of the rabbet by adjusting the fence, but it's best to play it safe and make this cut slightly undersize.
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 47
_ *-114" LIP
1/8" x 5/16"
26. Make the rabbetingjig (Fig. B, page 46).
r The mitered notch determines the size of the
rabbet, so it must be precisely cut. It's best to set
the tablesaw blade's height a bit low for the two
4Fdegree cuts and then finish cutting the peak
of the notch with a chisel.r The width of the rabbet on the jig's bottom f,ace
must match the stiles and rails'width, so thatwhen
thejig is clamped in position, the outside edges of
the jig and the workpiece are flush. The rabbet's
shallow depth allows clamping thejig on the mid-
dle rail without bearing on the door's panel.
r The exact location of the jig's rails depends on
the radius of your router's base. Locate the rails
so thatyour straight bit cutsjust shy of the notch.
27. Mark the centers of the glass opening on all
four sides of each door. Use these lines to position
the rabbetingjig (Photo 4).
28. Rout the mitered rabbets (Photo 5). The test
cuts you made while building the jig have precisely
dialed in the 1/8-in. depth.
29. Pare the shoulders of each rabbet (Photo 6).
30. Make the mitering jig (Fig. C, page 47).
I On the face of the jig, saw or rout a centered
groove that matches the width of your muntin
stock. The groove's depth must be slightly less
than the muntin's thickness.
r Saw 45degree miters on one end of the jig,
making sure that they meet dead center, so the
groove is precisely centered on the point.
31. Saw and pare the mitered ends of the vertical
muntins (M, Fig. A, Photos 7 and 8). Start by cutting
the muntins oversize in length. Use the door's
mitered rabbets for test-fitting. Make an extra
mitered muntin to use while setting up the next steP.
32. Saw half-laps in the mitered muntins (Photo
9). Make test cuts to dial in the fence's position and
the blade's height. Remember to include the
blade's kerf when you set the rip fence. Install the
muntin flush with the mitered tip of the mitering
jig. Then cut the half-laps in several passes, using
the miter gauge and the rip fence. Make the last
pass with the mitered tip of the jig (and the
muntin) butted against the fence. It's best to leave
the shoulders a bit long and then pare them to fit
(Photo 10).
33. Install the vertical muntins in the doors and
mark them for rabbeting (Photo 11).
34. Rout and pare mitered rabbets on the vertical
muntins (Photo 12).
35. Fit the horizontal muntins (N, Fig. A,
Photo 13) .
36. Glue the muntins in the doors.
10 ifJ:,il" half-lap rabbets to fit, usins the square end of
-l -l Use the centerpoints of the mitered rabbets in the stiles
I l to locate the rabbets on the vert ical muntin.
48 American Woodworker
FrwrsH AND Flrual AssEMBLyChoose a clear wipe-on or aerosol-spray finish.
Brushing on a finish is difficult, especiallywhen it comesto the doors. Wipe-on finishes are goof-proof but some-what tedious to apply. Spraying is faster, but sandingbetween coats is necessary and drips and sags will appearunless you apply very light coats. Mask off the finisheddoor panels to protect them from overspray. Rememberto finish the shelves and glass retainers. When the finishhas completely dried, complete these three steps:
37. Install the magnet cups, magnets and washers.38. Install the glass with the doors facedown on a
padded surface. Cut and fit the glass retainers. Install theretainers after drilling shank holes for the l/2-in. brads.
39.Install the knobs; then mountthe doon on the cabiner
mitered rabbets on the vert ical muntins, simplyspacer to the rabbet ing j ig .A munt in b lank is the12*;:'
perfect size.
A Side 2 314" x 6" x 30"B End 2 1l2" xS-314" x22'C Adjustable shelf 2 1l2" xS-3f4" x2i-i5lt6"D Top 1 1'xB-114" x26-112"E Bottom 1 314" x7" x24"F Back 1 114" x 22-112" x 30"*G Door 2 314" x j j -3f4" x2g-718"H Stile 4 3/4" x l-114' x 2g-7/8"J Rail 6 314" x 1-1f 4" x g-j14"K Spline 12 ll4" x 15132" x 1-1/2"L Panel 2 3/8" x g-1l9'x g-5/8"M Vertical muntin 2 114" x b/8" x 18"**N Horizontal muntin 4 114" xSlB" x 4-15116"**P Glass 2 3/32" x 9-b/8" x 17-314"O Retainer 8 114" x 3/8" x cut to fit
*plywood**cut length oversize, then tr im to f i t
I QS"*, pare and rabbet the horizontal muntins to f i t . Voi lb!Ir,,tYou've created a stylish, sturdy divided-light door.
Sources Van Dyke's Restorers, (800) 558-1234, www.vandykes.comBungalow doorknobs, 5/8 in. x 1-114in., #CM-02018877, $3.50 each. No-mortise hinges, 1-3l8 in. x 2 in., #CM-02012668, $1.50 a pair. r Lee ValleyTools, (800) 871-8158, www.leevalley.com Shetf pins, #63206.04. $5.2bfor a package of 20. Bl ind cabinet hangers, i - t18in. x 5/8 in. , #00S10.11,$2.40 for a package of 10. 114-in. rare earth magnet, 114 in. x 1110 in.,#99K31.01, $0.30 each. Magnetcup, l14 in. i .d. ,3/8 in. o.d. , #99K32.51.$0.40 each. Magnetwasher,3/8 in. o.d. . #99K32.61, $0.40 each. o FreudTools Inc., (800)334-4107, www.freudtools.com 1/4-in. slot cutter, #b6-1 12, $17 . 1/2-in. Arbor. #60-102, $6. Rabbeting bit with bearing set, #32-524, $52. 1/16-in.-dia. straight bit, #04-096, $1 1.
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 49
compressors
by Richard Tendick
quipping your shop with a small,portable air compressor opens
the door to a whole line of time-savingpneumatic tools. You can use a brad nail-
er or stapler to quickly assemble jigs, fur-
niture and shop projects. For more exotic
uses, you can mn a vacuum-bag veneeringsystem or air-powered clamps. And you can
use your compressor around the house for put-
ting up trim, building a deck, inflating car tires
and basketballs, and so on.Buyrng a small compressor can make your head spin.
Dozens of models are available, all varying slightly, rang-
ing from $115 to $350. But your search doesn't have to be
dfficult. If you know what you plan to use an air com-
pressor for, I'll help you figure out what tyPe to get.
Like a good sales clerk, I'll ask you a series of basic
questions to narrow your choices. You don't need to
know much about compressors to answer. When you're
done, you should know exactlywhat kind of compressor
to buy. When you go shopping, you'll find a few models
that fit the bill-just pick the best value.
easouosuonsr to choosethe risht onelL.L.L\-, ^ ^D
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50 American Woodworker sEPTEMBER 2ooo
1. \ Ih attools will you use?Figure out the amount of air you'll need.
When you shop for a compressor, the most important num-ber to look for is the amount of cubic feet per minute (cfrn) itdelivers at 90 pounds per square inch (psi). Usually, the mostprominent number you see on a box is the machine's horse-power. Everybody is familiar with horsepower ratings for othertools, but for compressors, it's not the most helpful guide.Stick to the cfrn rating.
The cfrn rating indicates the volume of air a compressor cansupply in one minute. Air-powered tools have different cfrnrequirements. If you're going to run a brad nailer from yourcompressor, for example, you may only need a l- to 2-cfrn unit.A framing nailer requires a2- to 4.cfrn compressor.
Sp*y guns require 7 to 11 cfrn, randomorbit sanders, up to15 cfrn. If you plan on using these tools, you'll need a muchlarger compressor than the small ones covered here, but thefive questions still apply.
Multiple tools require more air.Running more than one tool from a compressor increases
the amount of air you'll need. If you work in a small produc-tion shop, work on ajob site, or plan a home-remodelingjobon which two, three or four people will be using air nailers, asmall compressor may still provide adeqqate air, but each addi.tional tool puts a heavier burden on the compressor. Shootingdozens of brads or staples in a short amount of time has thesame effect.
It's better to buy a compressorwith a higher cfrn rating thanone that marginally meets your requirements. Underestimatingyour air delivery needs will reduce your tool's performance, pos-sibly shorten your compressor's life and, if the compressor runsfrequently, create avery noisy shop.
Air flow affects your tool's performance.When their tanks are fully charged, all small compressors
deliver enough pressure to run most woodworking air-powered tools. Butyour tools won't perform well if you have acompressor whose cfrn rating is too low.
Let's imagine you're driving brads. As you draw air from thetank, is pressure drops until the compressor's motor starts torun. If the compressor isn't able to supply enough air to thetank while you continue to work, the tank's pressure will dropfurther, even though the motoris running. The nailermaynorget enough air pressure to drive a brad all the way in. At thispoint, you have to stop work.and allow the compressor to buildback up to pressure. Insufficient air flow prevents your toolsfrom working at their full capacity and slows you down.
A 1- to 2-cfmcompressorcan driveone bradnai ler orone f inishnailer.
A 2- to 4-cfmcompressorcan drive twobrad nai lers,two finishnailers orone framingnailer.
A 4- to S-cfm compressor can drive four bradnailers, four f inish nai lers or two framing nai lers.
American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006 51
2 . How hard will you use it?Choose the tank's size.
Thnk shapes and sizes vary quite a bit. When you're shopping, don't
get hung up on choosing among pancake, single or double tanks. Pay
more attention to the tank's volume and less to its shape.
A tank's shape doesn't affect a compressor's ability to deliver air.
Double tanks, for example, don't offer some secret advan-
tage. A pancake or single-tank compressorperforms just as well as a double-
tank compressor.The larger thetank's volume,
no matterwhatits shape, theless often thec o m P r e s s o rwill kick in. Ifyou're going to
be a hard user,c o n t i n u o u s l y
shooting brads, sta-ples or nails, go for
the largest tank in your cfrn
range. If you'll be a light
user, shooting a dozen or so
brads at a time, you'll be OK
with a smaller volume tank. It
will be more compact and weigh less.
\ 4-GAL.\ PANCAKE- TANK
Apancake orsingletank compressorpeificffnsjust as well
as adoubletankcompressor.
The more nails you routine-ly drive in a short t ime, the larger
the tank you'll want. A compressor witha 1-gal. tank may repressurize after shooting
only 12 brads; a compressor with a 6-gal. tank mayhandle as many as 60 brads before the tank must be
repressurized.
BRADS
\
BRADS
\
52 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
3.\Alhich is more i-portanr ro you- long life or low maintenAnce?
Decide between an oil-lubricated or oillessMost oil-lubricated compressors can be run longer per
hour than oilless compressors can. They have a very longlife but require routine maintenance. On occasion, theymight spit oil on your projecr.
Oilless compressors shouldn't be run more than 30 min-utes per hour, on average. They have a shorter life, butdon't require much maintenance and won't spit oil. Oillesscompressors generally cost about $50 less than oil-lubricat-ed units with similar cfm ranges and tank sizes.
Duty cycle. This term refers to the length of time in onehour that a compressor should be allowed to run withoutstopping. Most oil-lubricated compressors can run 45 min-utes out of every hour, grirg them a 75-percent duty cycle.Mostjobs in a one-person woodshop don't require a com-pressor to run this much, but when a compressor's air flowis barely adequate for a spraying or sandingjob, or its tankvolume is small, an oil-lubricated unit is the best choice.Most oilless compressors have a 5O-percent duty cycle.They should be allowed ro srop a total of 30 minutes out ofeach hour of use to cool down.
Life span. A well-maintained oil-lubricated compressorhas approximately a 4,000-hour running-time lifeexpectancyi an oilless unit will run from 500 to 2,000hours. Let's put those numbers in perspective: To reach500 hours, the bare minimum, you would have to run yourcompressor a total of 2 hours a week for 5 years. Many oil-less compressors are inexpensive and easy to rebuild (seephoto, below left). Rebuild kits aren'r available for all mod-
Oil less compressors areeasy to rebui ld. Usually, al lyou need is a new cyl inderand a new piston toextend the compressor'slife.The set costs lessthan $50. Replacing theseparts doesn't requirespecial tools or ski l ls.
u nit.els, however. Oil-lubricated compressorsare not easy to rebuild. You can do it your-self, but you'll need special tools.Professional compressor-repair shopsin your area may be able to rebuildyour unit.
Maintenance. An oil-lubricatedcompressor should have its oilchanged regularly (see photo,below right). You should checkits oil level, too, from time totime. Oilless compressorsdon't need to be monitoredthis closely.
Oil spits. An oillubricat-ed compressor may spraytiny droples of oil. Thisshould happen only onrare occasions, but anolder compressor with aworn cylinder is more likelythan a new one to sufferthis problem. Youcan often sand orwash oil dropletsoffyour project.
Oi l- lu bricated com pressors requ i re regu lar mai ntenance.Depending on the compressor, you should change i ts oi levery three months to a year or after 100 to 300 hours of use.
\..\
COMPRESSORDIPSTICK
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 53
4. Will you be moving it outside your shop?Determine whether weight matters.
If you plan to park your compressor in one spot and rarely move
it, its weight isn't important. But if you foresee using your compres-
sor upstairs and downstairs, indoors and outdoors, its weight can
make a big difference.Small compressors range from 20 to 90 lbs. Obviously,
it's much easier to carry a 201b. unit up a flight
.." of stairs than a 901b. unit. Some heavier
compressors come with wheels and a
long handle to make them more
portable, but these make themachine larger
and more diffi-cult to store.
72 LBS.
Inspect the intake filter.Dust can shorten your compressor's life. A good intake fil-
ter that's routinely cleaned offers the best protection.
Dust and dirt drawn into a comPressor act like sand
caught between the pump's piston and cylinder. They grind
away with each stroke, reducing the motor's efficiency. The
intake filter's job is to remove dust from the air before it
reaches the pump.Intake filters vary widely among comPressors.
Unfortunately, you can't easily upgrade the firlter after you
buy a compressor. Since you do know how dusty it gets in
your shop, you can choose a specific air compressor by which
type of filter it has. The larger a filter's surface area, the
longer it will remain effective between cleanings. A pleated-
paper cartridge filter is best, having the largest surface area.
54 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
Store a l ightweight compressor just about any-where. Park i t on a shelf to save space. l f i t 's secure,i t can run up there, too.
5. FIow dusty is your shop?Many compres-sors have foamnrrers, which I fTI tr'i
*
:i.'",'T; ,::1. t llll,, ,#l,l,? "o'"i,ilili @, ̂ , ll I [r t en$Some compressors.don't have any filterat all.
Filters require regular cleaning. A clogged filter blocks the
free flow of air to the compressor, requiring it to work harder,
which could damage your compressor.
More Sp.cs To ConsiderSmall, low-rpm machines run more quietly.
A loud compressor in a small shop can drive a person nuts.Fortunately, some compressors are much quieter than others.Their sound-pressure levels vary from about 80 to 90 dBA,a significant difference that's roughly equivalent to thenoise of an idling tablesaw compared with the same sawripping thick hardwood. As you might expecr, 1- to 2-cfmcompressors are generally the least noisy. Unfortunately,noise levels measured in decibels aren't widely reported inmanufacturer's spec sheets. Tiy before you buy.
The speed at which a compressor runs also affects its noiselevel. Some compressors run at 1,720 rpm, while others run at3,450 rpm. Low-speed machines are noticeably quieter.
Higher pressureincreases air
in the tank.Some com-
Pressors are
built to handle
much higher
m a x i m u m
pressure than
others. Overall,
maximum air
pressure ranges
from 100 to 150 psi.You don't need this
increased pressure to runmost woodworking tools, but it does have a definitebenefit a 150-psi tankwill cycle on and offless often,because it contains more air than a l0Gpsi tankof the same volume. A l-gal. tank pressur-ized at 150 psi contains about 11 gal. ofair, while the same tank at 100 psi con-tains only 7 gul. A high-pressure oillesscompressor will have more time tocool down berween cycles, whichextends its life.
I : t ' ;
More horsepowerrequtres more amperage.
The more air a compressor delivers, the morehorsepower and amperage it needs. A 1/2-hp com-pressor typically draws about 4 amps, a l-hp com-pressor, 10 amps, and a 1.Ghp compressor, 15 amps.
A compressor that draws 15 amps should be run ona dedicated 20-amp circuit to avoid blowinga fuse or tripping a breaker. Manufacturers recom-
mend that you do not use an
extension cord on a high-
amp unit. (You can, how-
ever, use a long hose todeliver air far awayfrom a compressor; see"Plumb Your Shop
with Air," page 57.)
Check out the amper-
age of your shop and
home circuits before
buying a high-amp
machine.
ti'i(':j
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2006 55
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olnents after I tripped
over the air hose anddropped an arm-
load of boards, I decided it wastime to pltunb rny shop forair. I rvas tired of having 50ft. of liose on the floor andclashing back to the com-pressor to adjust the linep ress r l r e . I knewape r -
manent system could
del iver the r ight
amount of a i r where
and when I neecled it-
wi thotr t a b ig hose
snaked dangerously
across the floor.
Every article I readon plumbing air l inesadvisecl using either ironor copper. Because mybasernent shop holds alot of obstmctions, usingiron or copper would resultin a whole lot of threadingor soldering of short l i t t lepieces. Besides, copper andiron fittings are costly.
Ult imately, I decided on asolut ion I had used many t imes inmy 27 years as a manufacttrringp lant engineer . When ins ta l l ingprint ing presses and other largemachines, I used nrbber air hose asa flexible pipe to route compressedair in and through the equipmentwithout having to do a lot of compli-cated plumbine.
That approach would certainlywork with all the obstructions in myshop. I chose a rubber hose ratedfor 250 pounds per square inch(psi), plenty for my little pancakecompressor. The 1/2-in. insidediameter meant no reduction in airpressure woulcl occlrr along thelensth of the run.
Rubber air hose is an easy,economical and industry-proven method of routingcompressed-air l ines in yourshop. The rigid copper droPs
are installed on the wall whereneeded. The hose can then be
Copperdrops
bring theair to workareas andprovide
rigidity foreasy toolhookup,
A ball valvelocks com-pressed airin the linesso you candisconnest
the compres-sor from thesystem andgo mobile.
Ouickdieconnestsare s€t 45
degrees fromthe wall to pre-vent skinned
knuckles.
routed in a matter of minutes,using a knife to cut the hose and ascrewdriver to tighten the hoseclamps.The copper drops can besoldered on your bench beforethey're installed.
Thread the rubber airhose through floorjoists with ease. Besure to drill holesonly in the middle
one-third of the joist.
A rubber air hose canturn corners, go above
or below obstacles.
A coiledhose dropis placed
wherever aduster gunis neededto blow
drips off amachine.
Balt valveeflush out anyaccumulatedwater at thebottom ofeadi drop.
Fraune AStaning at the compressor, the air is filtered for oil and debris before it enters
the syJtem. At the two drops, the transition between the rubber hose and the
solid pipe is made with a barbed hose fitting (F) and a hose clamp (G).The
barbs grip the inside of the hose when the hose clamp is applied, resulting in
a tight seal. Copper joints are joined with solder.Threaded brass fittings are
sealed withTeflon tape wrapped around the threads.
N P
*trs,*#K + \
Tip:Check for air leaksby spraying a mixture of
detergent &waterat every connectlon;
bubbles "o
tQ
air.
Source MSC Industrial Supply, (800) 645-7270, www.mscdirect.com
60 American Woodworker sEPTEMBER 2006
**
Price
$44$31$g$e$1 perft .$1.50$0.50$zt$14$g$1.50$0.60$1.50$3.50$1.50$l$3.50tor 10ft$1 for 10$1.50 for 10$1.50 for 10$25
Source/Model#
MSC #01780337MSC #04290490MSC #37009727MSC #37009743MSC #48563720MSC #48755516MSC #48706097MSC #48670400MSC #AP79863049MSC #AP79863148MSC #79870341MSC #48772180MSC #02204717MSC #02201234Home centerHome centerHome centerHome centerHome centerHome centerMSC #88121835
Name
1 /2" compressed-ai r filter1/4" regulator with gauge114" ball valve1l2" ball valve112" air hose (red)112" x 1/2" barbed fitting#8 hose clamp114" x 12 'co i led hose and gun1/4" coupler1/4" connector112" x 1/4" reducer bushing1/4" close pipe nipple114" x 2" nipple114" 90" elbow112" x 112" female adaPter1/2" copper tee12" mpper pipe"| 12" copper hanger1/2" plastic hanger3/4" plastic hanger114" x 12 'co i led hose
Part
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A 6-step tune-upsets your jointerstra ig ht.
ointers are simple machineswith few moving parts, but thetwo beds, the fence and thecutterhead all have to be in
alignment for a jointer to functionproperly. Few things are more frustrat-ing or more common than problemswith jointers. This is especially truewhen you're trFng to get straight,square edges on your boards. I'vecome up with a six-step tune-up thatshould set your jointer straight. It'seasy to do and will only take an houror two, depending on how many prob-lems you unearth.
Jointers are supposed to cutstraight, square edges, but all toooften, they leave a sniped or a bowededge (see "Common Problems," pug.62). Snipe results whenever the top ofthe outfeed table dips below theknife's top cutting arc. A bow cutresults whenever the outfeed tablerises above the cutting arc. A cutter-head that's not parallel to the outfeedtable, or tables that are not parallel toeach other, will make it impossible toget the table height set just right forall fence settings.
byDave Munkittrick
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2006 61
csfimruoNMOur tune-up will help you identify andconest four common iointer problems:
PnoeLeM # 1A table surface that's
not flat.
PnoalEv #2Tables that are not
parallel to each otheracross their widths.
PnoeLeM #3Tables that are not
parallel to each otheralong their lengths.\-.
PnoeLeM #4A cutterhead that's
not set parallel tothe tables.
Common iointerproblems resultin a sniped orbowed edge.
Adjusting the out-feed table height usu-
al ly cures the Problem.However, if both tables and
the cutterhead are not in Per-fect al ignment, the Problem wil l
return when You move the fence.This tune-up procedure takes care of
al l the possible misal ignments that can
1THE LRXELHtrSTURFYou will need a few tools to perform this tune-up: A good
straightedge, a set of feeler gauges and machinist's metal
shims are must-haves for this job. For some steps, a dial indi-
cator is easier to use than a straightedge.The straightedge, shims and feeler gauge run about $80
cause jointer Problems'
total. The optional dial indicator with a magnetic base
and extension arms adds another $33 and is well worth
the cost. All these tools can also be used to set and
tune-up other shop equipment and to check your own
work for flatness (see Sources, page 66).
A precision straightedge is essential.You can perform al l the tune-up steps using this
50-in. precision straightedge that costs $58. Unlike inex-pensive straightedges, this one has a precision-ground
edge with a tolerance of .003 in. along i ts entire length'
Such a good straightedge is not cheap, but it's a good
investment for your shoP.
A feeler gauge set is used in tandemwith a straightedge to measure verysmall gaps. l f the straightedgereveals d gdP, you can measure that
by f inding the feeler gauge thatfits under the straightedge. .005,
DIAL INDICATOR
IA dial indicator with magnetic base andarm can't be beat for tool setups. A num-ber of these six tune-up procedures arebest done using a dial indicator. Like thestraightedge, this tool is also useful forother machine setuPs.
MAGNETIC=- BASE
Metal shims align jointer parts. Varietypacks are convenient and easy to use. Astrip of aluminum cut from a soda can is d
quick substitute for a .005-in. shim.That coupled with some.001-in. shim stock shouldcover all your tune-uP needs.Shims can be stacked to cre-ate any desired thickness.
SODA.CANSHIM STOCK
62 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
.001" SHIM STOCK
- l -o staft your tune-up, check each table for f latness. Lay
I the s t ra ightedge on a tab le and use the fee ler gauge tocheck for gaps. A gap of .003 in. or less is acceptable.
LF]IN E- TUNING YOUR JOILMTLERSrup 1 : CHrcK FoR FLqr Taslrs AND FrrucE
Check each table and the fence for flatness (photo l). Theaccuracy of later measuremens depends on flat tables.Measure for dips or a droop using the straightedge held par-allel to the table bed. Then, hold rhe srraightedge diagonallyacross the table to check for narist. The good news is that find-ing twist or dips in the table is highly unlikely. The bad newsis that if you do find things out of whack, you can't do muchabout it. In extreme cases, a messed-up fence or table may bereground at a machine shop. You'll have to weigh the cost intime and money against simply bqang a new jointer. If yourjointer is under warranty, talk to the manufacturer.
QCtreck the tables for paral lel ism across their widths.r-, lBridge the dial indicator from the center of the infeedtable to the center of the outfeed table and zero i t . sl ide theindicator across the width of the table to measure any dif fer-ence in he ight .
Srrp 2: AlrcN TneLEsIt's not unusual for the two tables to be out of parallel
across their widths (Photo 2). It's easiest to check the tablesfor parallelism with a dial indicator (photo 3). you can alsodo the check with a srraightedge. Hold the straightedgedown on the middle of the infeed table so it extends overthe outfeed table. Set the infeed table to the exact sameheight as the outfeed table. Slide the straightedge over tothe fence side of the table and use feeler gauges to checkfor gaps. Repeat with the straightedge on the user side ofthe table.
Align your tables by shimming the outfeed table.Loosen the outfeed table's gib nuts and lift the table soyou can insert metal shims on the side of the table that,slow (Photo 4). Shim the outfeed table only because it ismoved very little and the shims are less likely to shift dur-ing table adjustments.
Recheck the tables and make any necessary shim adjust-ments until the tables measure in exact alignment.
AAring the tables into al ignment by insert ing metal shimsIon the low side of the outfeed table. Choose a shim thick_
ness equal to the amount your table was off. Loosen the gibnuts and l i f t the table while you insert the shim or shims.Then ret ighten the gib nuts.
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2006 63
Srep 3: Ftx SacctNc TnaursTables can also be out of alignment along their lengths
(Photo 5). Use the straightedge to see whether the table
end dips below the infeed table (Photo 6). Correct a dip by
adding shims to the top or bottom of both gib ways on the
outfeed table (Photo 7). Retighten the gib nuts and check
the tables again. Make any necessary adjustments until the
tables lie in the exact same plane.
f,raotes can be orrf paral lel alongthe i r lengths.Typical ly, thetables sag onthe ends.Thisis especial lyt rue on o lderjointers that haveworn gib ways.
An hourof vour timeyields
a'lifetime offpertectr accuracY
from yourjointer.
ftCfred< for table sag by holding a straightedgeLlt ight against the infeed table. Set the infeed tableheight so the straightedge just contacts the outfeedtable.Then use a feeler gauge to determine theamount of dip or r ise in your outfeed table.
FJCorrecta sagging table by shimming the bottom endJ of the two dovetailed gib ways on the outfeed table'
A table that dips toward the cutterhead would beshimmed at the top end of the gib ways.
64 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
SrEp 4: LEvrl rHE CuTTERHEADwrrH rHr TaBLES
Now that the tables are parallel to each other along theirlengttrs and widths, it's time to make sure the cutterhead isparallel to the tables. If the cutterhead is not level with thetables, your cut will be heavier on one side of the table thanon the other.Jackscrewcutterheads allowyou to set the knivesto compensate for this; spring-loaded knives or a segmentedcarbide insert cutterhead do not. The fix for this problem isso simple that I recommend levelingyour cutterhead no mat-ter what type of knife holder you have.
Use a dial indicator or straightedge to check cutterheadalignment (Photo 8). If the cutterhead is off, measure theexact amount on the low side. This equals the size of shimyou'll need to raise the cutterhead (Photos g and l0).
0l removed the cutterhead here to illustrate how it isr./ mounted.Two threaded rods attached to pillow blocksrun through holes in the base and are held in place by anut and a washer. Place shims between the pi l low blockand the jointer bed casting.
QCfrect that the cutterhead is parallel with the tables. Rotate(Jthe cutterhead so the knives are below the table. Clamp aguide board parallel to the cutterhead. Set the dial indicatoragainst the guide board so the plunger contacts the cutterhead.Zero your dial indicator; then slide it back and forth.
lflth" cutterhead is easy to shim. Remove the drive beltl\,fand loosen the bolts that hold the cutterhead in place. Liftthe low end of the cutterhead and insert shims under the pillowblock.Then retighten the bolts.
SrEp 5: Srr Pnopen Krvlrr HElcHrTo minimize kickback hazards, jointer knives should not
project more than .020 in. from the cutterhead. (Owners ofspringJoaded cutterheads have a knife-setting gauge thatautomatically sets the proper knife projection.) A potentialhazard exists with knives set parallel to the outfeed table: It'seasy to unintentionally set the knives so they project too far.
A dial indicator is the best instrument for checking knifeprojection (Photo I 1), bur you can make do with a straight-edge and feeler gauge.
I I eroper knife projection increases jointer safety by limitingII the cut's aggressiveness. Use a dial indicator set to zeroon the cutterhead. With your hand on the pulley, rotate the cut-terhead bachryard. As the knife rides under the dial indicator, itshould read no more than .020 in.
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 65
To set the outfeed table height, place a straightedge onthe outfeed table so it proiects over the cutterhead.
Rotate the cutterhead backward and raise or lower the tableuntil the knife barely kisses the straightedge when it's at topdead center.
12Fine-tune the outfeed table height by edge-joint ing aIJcouple of boards that are narrower than the fenceheight and no longer than the infeed table.
Srup 6: SEr PRopenOurrEED TABLE HEtcHT
Your knives should be set so that the very top of the cut-
ting arc, also referred to as top dead center, is the same
height a.si your outfeed table. We used the straightedge to
accomplish this task (Photo 72), but a dial indicator is anoth-
er option. To do this, set the dial indicator on the outfeed
table and zero it. Then set the plunger over the cutterhead
with the body of the indicator on the outfeed table. Rock the
cutterhead back and forth; the indicator should hit zero as
its highest mark. Check this at several points along the width
of the table. Repeat for all three sets of knives.
I 7l eutthe newly jointed edges together and hold the joint
I-fup to a light source. No light leaks indicate a iointerthat's perfectly tuned. lf you are getting a snipe at the end ofyour cut, raise the outfeed table a bit. lf the jointer puts a con-cave edge on your board, lower the table. Repeat the processwith the fence set at the far edges of the table.The resultsshould be the same, and that should put a smile on your face.
Edge;joint a couple of boards to test your jointer (Photos
13 and 14). In practice, it often takes a little nveaking of the
oufeed table height to get itjust righr Often the table ends
up set.001 or.002 in. below the cutterhead. Nowyourjointer
is ready to go and should create perfect edgejoints every time.
Sources Lee Valley Tools, (800) 871-8'158, www.leevalley.com 50-in'aluminum straightedge, #05N63.05, $58. Dial indicator and magnetic baseand arm, 88N31.20, $33. Feeler gauges, #86K99.01, $14. Brass sampler,6-112in. x 6 in., .001 to .010 thickness, #27K07.50, $7.
66 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
FncSHNESS Danr FoR FrwtsHI never thought about the risks of using finish from
an old, previously opened can until I had to entirelystrip a project because the ancient varnish I used didn'tdry properly.
Now I play it safe. I date every can when I first openit, so I know at a glance how long the remaining finishhas aged. If the date shows the can has been sitting fora year,I test the finish it contains on a sample. Before Iuse any old finish on a project, I want to make sure itdries hard.
After two years, my freshness date expires. Using vin-tage finish may be appealing because it doesn't cost any-thing, but buying a fresh can is a much better idea.
R.B. Himes
American Woodworker SEpTEMBEF 2006 71
Free plans!Join American wodnrcr*efs online panel and get5 of our best prciects absolutely fiee! Log on towvur,v. a m e r i ca nwoodwo rke r. com/pa n e IComplete a brief questionnaire and periodically after that you may receive short onlinesurveys. You can opt out at any time. we won't share your e-mail address withany outside companies. Thanks for your help. We look forward to hearing from you!
The editors of American Woodworker
Pipe-ClampViseMy bench has only one vise, so it
needs to be versatile. Thejaws on my
vise can be positioned to hold objects
flat on the bench or cantilevered off
the end. In addition, the clamP is
removable, so I can still use it for reg-
ular clampingjobs.
My vise is based on anordinary 3/Lin. pipeclamp with one modi-fication: The pipe isthreaded l-3/4 in.(extra long) formounung.
I used scraps of
l/2-in. Baltic birch for the brackets. I
got everything else, including the clamp,
at a hardware store for about $25.1. Drill holes in the brackets for the
screws and pipe (Fig. A, below).
Enlarge the l-in.dia. holes with a fileto make the pipe fit.
2. Mount the brack-
ets and install the
clamp with its jaws
posit ioned vert i-
cally. Fasten the
clamp to the
, front bracket
by thread-
edited Dy TimJohnson
ing on two 3/4.in. electrical con-
duit lock nuts.
3. Drill a l/4-lin. hole through
the bracket and the clamP head
for the positioning Pin (a L / Lin.
quick-release pin from the hard-
ware store).
4. Loosen the nuts, rotate the
clamp head 90 degrees and
retighten the nuts. Use the hole in
the clamp head as a guide while
you drill the second Positioninghole in the bracket.
5. Install the positioning Pin.FIqd E. Adams
To change the jaw's Position,remove the pin, loosen thenuts and rotate the clamP
head.Then reset the Pin andtighten the nuts.
sst+- s-1t2" ---#- 2'1t2"+
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while building this little sration to organize my cordless-
drill paraphernalia, I discovered that bicycle hooks make
great drill holders. Mounting the station on the wall saves
valuable benchtop space. Now I never have to hunt for my
drills, chargers and bits.Hans Wendt
70 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
Using The Correct Moisture MeterCan Assure Quality Wood Products!
Assure the qualitY ofvour manufacturedwood products with
the Warclrta 7 1\11[1lc) llt)Digital Moisture Meter.
Perfect for furniture &cabinet makers, flooring
manufacturers & installers,architects, insPectors,
contractors, & engineers.
lncludes: The WagnerMoisture Measuringffi - Reference
€ffi u,utdiywrF cD!-w
Other models available:CI
Heaotno or r:z
tu.lld GnnalFlnals -I
t-
Testing the cureof WaterborneFinishes
='X"" w**.moisturemeters.com/aa
ow do you make a
velvety smooth bowl with evenlY
thick walls and crisp details? Well,
it's not done by sanding the heck out of it. The
secret is to use a bowl gouge that is properly shaped
and very sharp.Most bowl gouges aren't ready to do this kind of
fine work right out of the package. They must be
shaped, sharpened and honed. Shaping a bowl
gouge means altering its profile, also called its
grind. Sharpening maintains the profi le and
renews a dull edge. Honing further sharpens the
edge. I?ll cover how to do all three operations
freehand style.I prefer sharpening
freehand, as oPposed to using ajig,
because it's similar to turning a bowl. When you
sharpen, the tool sits on a rest and meets a round
object-in this case, the grinding wheel. You rub the
bevel on the round object and manipulate the edge'
That's what turning is all about, too. Once you've
learned to sharpen freehand, you're all set to make
a fantastic bowl.
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78 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
FIow to Sharpen 3 Profilesoodturners shape theirbowl gouges into three Mostbowl gouges are made fiom high-speed steel (HSS)'
If your HSS gouge turns blue as you gnnd, don't worry' This
change won't soften the steel. If the tool becomes too hot to
hold, don't quench it in water. kt it cool in the air or lay it
on a metal surface to dissipate the heat.
When you're sharpening a gouge, it's important to
gnnd the entire bevel, rather than just the edge' To find
the correct position, contact the heel of the bevel first,
and then raise the tool's handle until the entire bevel
contacts the grinding wheel.
basic groups of profiles: traditional, fingernail
and swept-back. Any gouge can be modified
on the grinder to match these profiles. Your choice of pro
file depends on your skill level and preference'
I use a coarse wheel for shaping a bowl gouge and a
finer one for sharpening (see "Equipment," page 83)'
The basic procedures for shaping and sharpening are the
same. After you shape the profile, you grind a bevel to fol-
low the shape.
"tffi
€ Traditional ProfileSTRAIGHTSECTION
T rop VrewI Tne end of a tradition-
I al profile is straight
VERTICAL
/{ EDGE
SloE VlEwThe cutting edge isapproxi matelY vertical.
he traditional profile is the easiest to sharpen' It's
created by rotating the tool. To begin, set the tool
rest to create a4!to 6Gdegree bevel. Lay the tool
on the rest, positioned to start at one side (Step l)' Slowly
push the gouge toward the wheel. When you contact the
wheel, rotate the gouge until you reach the other side,
and then reverse direction. As you grind, hold the gouge
firmly on the rest and keep is end square to the wheel'
The traditional profile works well in general but has
some limitations. It's good for shaping the outside of a
bowl that's mounted with its opening facing the head-
stock. But if the bowl is mounted the other way, facing the
tailstock, this profile doesn't work as well. The traditional
profile is good for opening up most of a bowl's interior,
but not too good at the transition from the sides to the
bottom unless the tool is ground with a very steep angle'
This profile doesn't have drawn-back sides, so it's more
difticult ro make the fine finishing cuts that are possible
with the fingernail and swept-back profiles.
Sree()Shaping andsharpening the .traditional profileis very easy.Simply start atone side androtate the tool onthe grinder's toolrest. Stop grind-ing when sparksflow evenly overthe cutting edge.These sparks indi-cate the edge issharp.
Sree@Use a protractorto check theangle of yourprofile (seeSources, page83).There is noperfect angle foral l si tuations.Tostart, 45 to 60degrees is f ine.With experience,you' l l see howdifferent anglesaffect a tool'sperformance.
80 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
fi,F'ingernail ProfileOVAL
)
END
Top VlEwThe end of a f ingernai lprofile should be oval, butnot too pointy.
Sree$Sharpen the f in-gernai l prof i le ina f luid motion,one side of thebevel at a time.Begin at the cen-ter.You'll rotatethe tool and pushit up the grindingwheel, al l in oneshot, using yourfingers for sup-port.
PUSH UPTHE WHEEL
CONVEX EDGE
Sror VrewThe line from the point tothe top should be straightor slightly convex, neverconcave.
I I rinding the fingernail profile requires more
\_;1ffi i:l-"$T#xT:-,"T.It'Jil*:l'lvery similar to a few cuts in bowl turning itself.
To begin, set the tool rest about 120 degrees to thewheel (Step 1). The front edge of the tool rest must bevery close-L/8 in. or less-to the wheel, so you can'tpinch your fingers in the gap. Rest the gouge on top oftwo fingers and push it slowly toward the wheel. Contactthe middle section of the bevel first. Then raise thegouge's handle until the full bevel touches the wheel.Begin a slow upward twist, continuing until the tool isheeled over on its side (Steps 2 and 3). Repeat thisprocess on one side of the gouge until sparks come overthe edge and travel down inside the flute-that's the signthe edge is done. Do.the same procedure on the otherside of the tool and then work on the middle of the gougeto make a uniform, continuous bevel.
The fingernail profile is the best shape for a beginningbowl.turner. It's more versatile than the traditional pro-file. Itworks well whether the bowl is mounted toward theheadstock or tailstock and is useful for detailing work ona rim or foot. The sides can be used for shear cutting andshear scraping finishing cuts.
Sree@Twist the gougeand push i t higheron the grindingwheel.
PUSH,r"r: 7
Sree@Stop twistingand pushingwhen the tool isfully on its side,at a 90-degreerotation. Makelight passes inthis manner, oneach side, untilsparks just beginto come over thecutting edge.
PUSH HIGHERYET
American Woodworker SEpTEMBER 2006 81
filSSweptrBack Profile
OVAL END
SWEPT.BACK
,- PROFILE
he swept-back profile is the most dfficult profile
to create, but it doesn't take a lot of practice to
master. If vou have trouble, remember that you
can't ruin a turning tool by grinding; you only shorten it'
To begin, set the tool rest in the same manner as for a
fingernail profile. The procedure is very similar to mak-
ing a fingernail profile, but here you work on the long
sides of the tool first (step 1). When both sides are done,
gnnd the front (Step 2). Then blend the front into the
sides (step 3). Aim for a uniform bevel, but the transition
doesn't have to be completely smooth. The front and
sides are used in two different turning operations, so the
area in between isn't critical.
The swept-back profile is also called an Irish, Celtic or
Ellsworth gnnd. It's the most versatile profile. Your bowl
gouge can be used as a roughing, scraping and fine fin-
ishing tool. It's easy to level any surface, inside or out,
when using the gouge in a shear cutting or shear scraping
action. The swept-back profile is not for beginners, how-
ever. It can be too aggressive for inexperienced hands' A
gouge with a swept-back profile also requires consider-
able power from the lathe to remove large amounts of
material. Some small lathes don't have enough horsepow-
er to handle it.
Sree$Begin making aswept-back profileby grinding thesides. Hold thegouge on i ts sideand slightly rotateit to create thesweep.
Srer@Grind the gouge'sfront. Begin withthe center; thenslightly rotatewith a smallupward push.
Sree@Blend the frontand sides of thegouge by push-ing and twistingthe gouge uP thewheel.This tech-n ique is s imi larto that used tocreate the finger-nai l prof i le.
Top VlEwThe swept-back end isoval or el l ipt ical, butnot pointy.
Srpe VtewThe sides are groundback much farther thana f ingernai l prof i le. Thel ine from the Point tothe top should bestraight or slightlY con-vex, never concave.
ROTATE
82 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2006
'fffffi*J
n""" ,ll -y bowl gouges after sharpening
I *d routinely touch them up at the first hint
I-of dullness during turning. Honing isn't
absolutely necessary, but it has many benefits. Ahoned gouge produces a cleaner cuq makes
crisper details and reduces the time I spend sand-ing. The more often you hone, the less time you'll
spend going back to the grinder for sharpening.
HSS gouges are very tough steel. Most slipstones don't work well on HSS because they cuttoo slow or not at all. I use a special diamond slipstone that cuts much faster and fits the radius of
every bowl-nrrning gouge (see Sources, below).I hone the bevel first (Step 1). The trick is to
hold the stone flat on a bevel. Straight from thegrinder, this bevel should be slightly concave.
The stone should always contact the groundbevel at two points: the back or heel, and the areabelow the cutting edge, called the toe. I start hon-ing by only contacting the heel and then anglethe stone to touch both surfaces. Honing theflute is much easier (Step 2).
Sree$Using a diamond sl ipstone tohone a gouge real ly improvesits performance. Hone theground bevel f i rst by bracingthe gouge and moving thestone up and down.
Sren@Hone the inside of the gougeusing the sl ipstone's roundededges. Brace the gouge againstyour side, place the stone f lat onthe gouge's f lute and sl ide thestone back and forth.
Eq,rip*entMost turners use a bench grinder to reshape
and sharpen their tools. Just about any equipment will do, but here's what I suggest (see
Sources, below):
e &in. grinder. I prefer a slow-speed model that runs about1,725 rpm. I haven't tried them all, but I really like the heavy-dutyDelta 23-275, $175. It has lots of power and feels very stable.
e Rock-solid tool rests. This is the greatest weakness of mostgrinders, but not the Delta. Look for supports that have no flex.They should be easy to angle and move in and out. I added woodplatforms to the Delta's tool rests to make larger support are?N.
e Friable grinding wheels. They come in white, pink, blue ororange. I prefer a 60 or 80 grit for sharpening and a 46 or coarsergrit for shaping. Look for aJ- or K-level hardness for turning tools.
e Diamsl6 wheel dresser. Dressing a wheel is critical for goodsharpening. A dresser cleans, flattens and sharpens the wheel byexposing fresh grit. I prefer this T:handle dresser ($35, see photo,left) because it works extremely fast.
e Movable lamp. It should be able to illuminate either side ofboth wheels.
e A face shield or safety glasses and a dust mask. Be sure to usethese because the grinding dust is a health hazard. Dressing a wheelcreates lots of dust.
Sources Delta Machinery, (800) 223-7278, wranar.deltamachinery.com &in. slow-speed bench grinder, #23-725, $175. o MSC, (800) 645-7270,www.mscdirect.com &in. dia., 60arit wheel, #86758562, $44. Bushing set, #00390955, $1. 8-in.dia., 46grit wheel, #05867163, $24. Bushing set#00390989. $1. Steel protractol #06475172, $9. . Packard Woodworks, (800) 683-8876, www.packardwoodworks.com Diamond Jim grinding wheeldresser, #141504, $35. . Alan Lacer, Worker of Wood, (715l, 42G9451, unnvr.alanlacer.com Diamond Slipper slipstone, $88.
American Woodworker 83
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HORIZONTALWORK.SUPPORT
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VERTICALWORK.SUPPORT
HANDLE
FINE.
^.- coARsE-Z ADJUSTMENT
KNOB
All tenoning j igs areremarkably similar,with comparable fea-tures and adjustments.Even the least expen-sive model wi l l giveyou excellent results.
Mosr TrruoNtNGJrcs Ane Alrrr
All seven tenoningjigs I triedare surprisingly similar. Remove thehandles, paint all the jigs the same colorand you would have a hard time tellingthem apart. Taking a closer look,though, I did find some subtle butimportant differences. Let's examinetheir common features first.
r Work support. This 5-in.-wide by Gin.-tallcast-iron plate holds the workpiece. It tilts from 0 to17 degrees (see photo, page 86, left). you can cutsteeper angles by tilting the saw blade. On a left_tiltsaw, I turn thejig around and run it in the right-handmiter slot when I tilt the blade for steeper angles.This may not work on all saws, however.
r Clemp arm. This adjusts forward or backward atotal of 2 in. to center the clamp on the workpiece.
r Backstop. The backstop tilts backward from 0 to45 degrees (see photo, page 86, right).
r Sliding table. The table moves 2-g/A in. to adjustthe distance between the blade and work support.
r Coarse adjustuent. Loosening a knob allows youto slide the table. Many times, though, you muststrike the table with your hand to get it going. Thatgets old real fast. Lubrication doesn't help much.
r Fine adjushent. Turning a knob allows you tofine-tune the sliding table's position. One rotation ofthe knob moves the table a bit less than l/16 in. Thefine adjustment works so well that I usually skip usingthe coarse adjustment.
Lcuroe sln
4 Usrn-FntENDLy FranuRESSomejigs have additional features that make them
easier to set up, adjust and use (see Chart, page 86).r Adjustable goid" bar. Some guide bars can be
adjusted to fit tightly in your saw's miter slot. Thismust-have feature increases accuracy by preventingthe jig from wiggling as you cut a tenon. The adjust-ment consists of a pair of set screws in the guide bar,similar to those on premium miter gauges.
r Above'jig guide-bar alignment. you must align anewjig so that it's parallel to the saw blade by shift-ing the guide bar's position. This is a lot easier onjigs whose adjustment screws are accessible fromabove. On otherjigs, the screws are below the slidingtable, so you must remove the jig from the saw eachtime you shift the guide bar. That's very awkward.
r Rear handle on table. For the most accurate cuts,I preferjigs that have at least one handle mounted onthe sliding table (see photo, page 86, left). On otherjigs, both handles are located on the work support. Asyou're cutting a tenon, I find that you can inadver-tently h^rist the work support by pushing too hard onone or both of these handles. That can ruin a cut.
,vI
WORKSUPPORT
SLIDINGTABLE
ADJUSTMENTKNOB
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 85
IIII
IIII
I
II
Every tenoning j ig has a t i l t ing work support for cutt ing
angled tenons, scarf joints, low-angled miters or bevels'
Gaution: The blade guard must be removed when
using a tenoning j ig. Use both handles.
r Front-mounted handle. Only one jig, the Delta
3+184, has a handle in front (see photo, above
right). I think it's a great idea.
RTcoMMENDATIoNS
The seven tenoningjigs I tested are very similar to
one another, even though their prices vary quite a lot
(see Chart, below). They all workverywell. Somejigs
have a few important improvements for easier setup
and more accuracy. The least expensive jig, the
Gnzzly H7583 ($60), has most of these good fea-
tures, as do the Wooduaft 144755 ($70) and the
Delta 34183 ($100). For the best value in a tenoning
jig, get the Grizzly.
The backstop on every tenoning jig tilts for cuttinggrooves or tenons on mitered pieces.This j ig, the Delta
|q-'lgq, is the only one with a front-mounted handle'This
handle makes i t much easier to push the j ig without wig-
gl ing the work suPPort.
The most expensive jig, the Delta 3+184 ($f 10),
has two features that make it the most convenient
model to use right out of the box. First, it's the only
jig with two handles on the sliding table. Other jigs
have one or two handles on the work support'
Pushing on these handles can cause the support to
wiggle during a cut. For most cuts, the wiggle is so
small that it's not a big deal, but for cuts that must
be very precise, it's a concern. Using both handles
on the sliding table, I made more accurate cuts with
the Delta g+184 than using other jigs. The second
feature is a fine-adjustment mechanism that's grad-
uated for fine-tuning a setting. Each line on the
fine-adjustment knob indicates that you've shifted
the work support bY about .004 in.
Delta 34-184
Delta 34-183
Grizzly H7583
Woodcraft 1M755
Jet JTG-1OO
Rockler 29840
Woodtek 1 16-738
$ 1 1 0
$100
$60
$70
$ 1 1 0
s90$80
Y
Y
N
N
N
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
Delta, (800) 223-7 21 8, www.deltamachi nery.com
Delta, (800) 223-7 27 8, www.delta machi nery.com
Grizzly, (800) 5234777, www. grizzly. com
Woodcraft. (8OO) 22$1 1 53, www.woodcraft.com
Jet, (800) 27 4-6848, wrrvr,ru.jettools.com
Rockf er. {8OOl 2794441, www.rockler.com
Woodworker's Supply, (800) 645-9292'www.woodworker.com
86 American Woodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo
enoningjigs do much more than simply makestraight tenons. You can create other joints by
tilting the jig, leaning the workpiece backward orusing a dado set. Here are a few examples:
r Angled tenon. This complicated joint is oftenused on chairs when the seat is wider in front than inback. Angled tenons and shoulders go on the railsconnecting the front and back legs. Before getting atenoning jig, I couldn't figure out how to quicklymachine all those angles, so I slowly cut these jointson the bandsaw and by hand. Using a dado set and atenoningjig, however, I can cut both the tenon andits shoulders with a single setup.
r Open mortise and tenon. This joint is best cutwith a dado set, too, to form the mortise's bottomwith one pass. The tenon's length is limited by themaximum height you can raise your dado set abovethe saw's table-abovt 2-l/4 in. for an 8-in. set.7-1/4 in. for a Gin. set.
r Mitered end lap. This elegant door joint ismitered above and half-lapped below, for additionalglue surface. Use a general-purpose or combinationblade for all the cuts. Run a groove inside bothpieces to receive a panel.
r Splined miter. Use a dado set to cut thesegrooves. They can be wider and deeper than groovesmade using a slot cutter on a router table.
r Scarf joint, low-angled miter or long bevel. you
can't cut steep angles like these with a board lFrgflat on the tablesaw or a miter saw, but they're noproblem when the piece is held upright in a tenon-ingjig. A scarfjoint is used to make one long piecefrom two shorter ones. A low-angled miter, less than45 degrees, is used on triangular boxes. A long bevelis a design detail, rather than ajoint. You'd use it totaper the end of a cleat under a tabletop or the footof a trestle base. The bevel's length is limited by themaximum height a l0-in. blade can be raised, whichis about 3-7/4 in.
This remarkablejigcuts atl these tenons withexquNlte precrslon.Low-Angled Miter
'';
or Long Bevel
American Woodworker sEpTEMBER 2006 87
Cn AZy MTSTAKES WoODWORKERS Mnrr
/'
MnnKED-Boano MvsrERY <\
My husband was building a project in his basement workshop. He
carefully marked all the boards and stacked them on his bench for
cutting later.
A couple of days passed before he went back downstairs. I heard
him talking to himself, so I went down to see what was going on. He
was turning the boards over and over, scratching his head. "I know I
marked these boards," he said.
When I asked him what he'd used to mark them, he went into my
sewing room and came back with a blue felt-tip pen. I started to laugh.
It was my fabric-marking pen-with disappearing ink!
Julie Dustin
Make your woodwork-
ing mistakes pay! Send us your
most memorable "What was I
thinking?" blunders. You'll t'eceive
$100 for each one we print' F-mail
to [email protected] or
send to AW Oops!, American
Woodworker. 2915 Commers
Drive, Suite 700, Eagan, MN
55121. Submissions can' t be
returned and becorne otlr ProPer-ty upon acceptallce and paymerrt.
We may edit submissions and use
them in all print and electrouic
media.
edited Dy TimJohnson
Top FasrrNtNG 101The rustic dining-room table I'd built for a
customer was too large and hear'y to deliver fully
assembled. To avoid scratching either surface, my
helper and I placed a moving pad on the dining
room's hardwood floor and then laid the tabletop
face down on the pad. After positioning the trestle-
style base, we fastened it to the top with screws'
They fit in counterbored holes, so they wouldn't
show. Everything went great, although the screws
seemed to go in a bit deeP.
After installing the screws, we prepared to turn
the table over. "One, two...ummph!" The table
wouldn't budge: It was securely anchored to the
floor. A.gh. While removing the scrervs' I realized
my mistake: I'd counterbored all of the screw holes
too deeply.
Fortunately, the accidental holes merely added to
the top's rustic appearance. I had putty to patch the
floor, but I didn't have shorter screws for the top, so
d,inner was delayed while I made a dash for the
hardware store.BilI Snyder z
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88 American Wbodworker SEPTEMBER 2ooo